It is scary when you put yourself out there for the whole world to see. Okotoks’ David Proctor did just that when he publicly announced he would attempt to run across Canada in a record 66 days in order to raise money for the Rare Disease Foundation. He didn’t finish the run, which he dedicated to his son Sam, who has RECA, a disease that affects the St. Mary’s School student’s balance and balance. Proctor had to end his run just east of Winnipeg on Friday night, almost a month to the day when he dipped his hat in the Pacific Ocean in Victoria, B.C. for the approximately 7,200km trek to St. John’s, Newfoundland. He had to stop due to a back injury. He was advised by his medical team to stop or risk permanent injury. Proctor has said he was embarrassed to have to stop — hey, he only ran about 2,700km in 30 days. He was comforted by a hug from Sam and family and positive comments on social media. Proctor deserves to put his feet up and hold his head high. He was a voice for people with rare diseases and their loved ones. Stories about people with rare diseases prior to Proctor’s run were, well, rare. It was an out of sight, out of mind, that’s too bad, but it’s not me kind of thing. Proctor continually spoke of how any pain he had during the run was little compared to that faced by parents of children with rare diseases. He knows their frustration. While the run has stopped, Proctor, along with wife Sharon and family and team — which includes Okotoks’ Wayne and Trish Gaudet — have stopped running, but not spreading the word. They are heading to St. John’s to continue spreading the word of rare diseases — and surpassing their current total of around $200,000. Sure, it’s scary to put yourself out there, but Proctor has proven it can pay off, especially in the long run.
