CBC News Now with Louise Martin

David visit the CBC studio in Toronto for an interview with Louise Martin of 'News Now' July 23, 2011.

Check out the behind the scenes footage as well - click here

Never walk again? Sorry doc, you're wrong

TORONTO, July 31 (UPI) -- Anger and defiance are fuellng a brain-damaged Canadian man running a marathon a day across the country who was told he never would walk again.

David McGuire, 38, began his run April 1 in St. John's, Newfoundland, on "A Run to Remember," named for his short-term memory loss from a massive stroke five years ago.

McGuire worked as a debt collector for a national bank when he collapsed at work and went into a coma. Doctors removed and later replaced a piece of his skull on the left side to alleviate swelling.

McGuire now keeps his hair cut short to show the C-shaped scar on his scalp as he runs on behalf of Braintrust Canada, a charity devoted to the prevention of brain injuries. The group's Web site quotes McGuire as saying, "I'm just a guy with a brain injury, but I can run."

His mission hasn't gained much national media coverage in Canada, although McGuire is in his sixth of 10 provinces, just short of halfway across the country.

In a series of interviews with UPI, McGuire said this week he was still trying to adapt to the changes the stroke caused. He jokes frequently about not remembering where he was the day before and said when he sees videos of his wedding reception with wife Mandy, he recognizes everyone, but not the event.

McGuire's agenda involves a 25-mile marathon a day, although he stops almost daily to speak to schoolchildren, sports and civic groups about the importance of preventing brain injuries, specifically concussions.

The long-term effects of concussions are increasingly being reported as athletes from the National Football League, the National Hockey League and Canadian Football League come forward with brain injury-related degenerative conditions.

McGuire said he's happy to see publicity by celebrity sports figures. However, he said, brain injuries are life-changing for non-celebrities.

For him, not in a good way.

"I went through a year of deep clinical depression," he said. "But it was seeing the other people who were worse off than me that sort of shook me into doing this [run]."

Braintrust Canada's director of communications, Magda Kapp, told UPI fundraising was below target, but there was hope it would progress the further McGuire goes.  "The operational cost of the run is $150,000 and we're nowhere near that," she said. "However, there's cost and then there's value.  "How can you put a value on what David's done so far? How many brain injuries have been avoided? How many kids looked at his scar and learned a lesson for life?"

Ironically, the first company to take up the run's corporate donation challenge was outside Canada.

Communicare Michigan, which operates residential care and treatment facilities for patients with brain injuries and developmental disabilities, came forward with a pledge of $7,230, a dollar for each kilometer McGuire runs.  That equates to 4,492 miles.

In the meantime, McGuire is running north and west with a goal of reaching Victoria, British Columbia, in late November. He told UPI he's turning his frustration into energy to put one foot in front of the other in his cross-country run.

"I don't know if my brain injury could've been prevented, but so many other people could avoid this if they'd just think."

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/07/31/Never-walk-again-Sorry-doc-youre-wrong/UPI-93401312103880/#ixzz1TiANfJRL

Argonauts Welcome David @ Halftime July 23, 2011

David is welcomed by President and CEO Bob Nicholson to the home opener of the Toronto Argonauts vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 23, 2011. David is presented with a custom jersey at halftime and meets Pinball Clemons and other players after the game.

CBC News Now - Behind the Scenes

David visits the CBC news studio in Toronto for an interview with Louise Martin on News Now - July 23, 2011.  Catch a glimpse of the scene from behind the camera as David talks about his journey across Canada for brain injury. 

Running across Canada: Meet the man doctors said would never walk again

Chatelaine Magazine catches up with David in Toronto

After David McGuire sustained a brain injury in 2005, doctors told him that he would never walk again. A year later, he entered his first marathon. Now, he’s running a marathon a day across Canada, in support of brain injury awareness, as part of an event he's created called A Run to Remember.

McGuire's epic journey started on a slightly overcast day on April 1st in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He'll keep running until he reaches Victoria, B.C. in late October. This month, he’s passing through Ontario, and to celebrate the ground McGuire has already covered, the mayor of Toronto has declared July 22 “A Run to Remember Day.”

Chatelaine caught up with McGuire on a short pit stop on his way to Toronto.

Q: Why are you running across Canada?

A: Before my brain injury in 2005, I knew nothing about these kinds of injuries. After going through the struggles that I went through during my rehabilitation, I realized that it is a silent epidemic: every three minutes there is a brain injury in Canada — and the majority are preventable. I wanted to get the word out about how common brain injuries are, and also how preventable they can be, in many cases. Most brain injuries are caused by something so simple as not wearing a helmet.

Q: How did you get your brain injury?

A: We don’t know 100 percent how I got it. We do know, now, that I had a series of mini-strokes while I was working, but because of my age — I was 35 at the time — no one knew that I was having strokes. And then, I had one, final major stroke that caused me to slip and hit my head. My brain started to bleed and swell quite seriously, and a portion of my skull had to be removed to allow for the swelling. Now all I have to remember what happened is a large scar on the side of my head.

Q: Why are you calling your run "A Run to Remember"?

A: My specific disabilities since the injury now include short-term memory loss and a form of aphasia. If you think of the moviesMemento and Fifty First Dates, it gives you a rough idea of what it’s like. Tomorrow, when I wake up, I won’t remember talking to you. The other issue I have is with aphasia; often the word that I am thinking in my head isn’t always the word that comes out of my mouth.

Q: How does your short-term memory loss affect you on your runs?

A: Things that I don’t access on a daily basis are harder for me to retrieve. Because my Run to Remember is highly repetitive, and a fairly simple action, I know that I’m running each day. Now the interesting thing is this: when I stop and look back to where I’ve started, or if I see pictures of myself on my runs, I can’t recall those moments at all. I can’t pull any specific moments from my day-to-day runs from my memory.

Q: On your website, you write that you have “no mental map that guides you, and no memory of where you are or where you’re going” — what does mean exactly?

A: You could say that my internal GPS is off. To give you an idea: you sit in your office, and you know where your home is roughly located in relation to your work desk. I don’t have that kind of internal mapping anymore. I don’t have that sense of where I’m heading like I used to, so I have to rely on a lot of electronics. My Garmin GPS watch tells me how far I’ve been running, and helps me set a pace so I don’t burn out before I’ve hit my target for the day.

Q: What made you decide to run after your injury?

A: I ran my first marathon a year after my accident. The doctors had told my family that I’d never walk or talk again, but if you know me, you know I’m not the kind of person that’s ever going to accept defeat. Since then, I’ve done an Olympic-distance triathlon in Vancouver and the Penticton Ironman.

I started running out of frustration. Before my accident, I was independent. I was probably making more money than I should have, and within a split second, everything went away. I was in the hospital for 29 days, and when I finally left, the life I had known completely and abruptly changed forever. I moved back in with my parents, back to the very small town I had grown up in. There I was at 35 years old, living in my parents’ office on a foldout bed. I was reliant upon them for everything. Because my cognitive and verbal skills weren’t well, it was hard to explain what I needed.

One day, I wanted a hair cut, and I couldn’t explain it, so I threw on a pair of boots and jeans and tee-shirt and left the house. I was familiar enough with the town from growing up there so I kind of knew where the barber was — it’s a really small town so you can’t get lost. I ran to the barber, and I must have been some sight to see, running down the road with half a head of hair on one side of my head, and a large scar running down the other. They had sent me home from the hospital, with half of my hair shaved off for the surgery. I got to the barber, and I couldn’t remember why I was even there. He cut my hair and made it look more even on both sides. I managed to find my way back home.

It was the first time that I had done something on my own since the accident. With running, I found that I didn’t need anyone but myself. I didn’t need a doctor or a psychologist. I felt like I broke through a prison.

Q: What does a typical running day for you look like?

A: I have oatmeal and a protein shake in the morning and set off around 9am. I’ll run for two hours, and take a little break. Then I’ll run for two more hours and take another break. Depending on where I am, I might stop and give a talk at a school or other place where I can raise awareness for brain injuries and discuss the importance of helmets and other forms of prevention. 

Q: How do you plan your runs?

A: Because of my memory, and because I don’t know where I am, all the planning falls to my run manager, Melissa. I get up in the morning, and she points, “Go that way.” She follows in a car alongside me. When I come to an intersection, I’ll look back at her, and she motions left or right, and I go.

Q: What keeps you going?

A: Well, two things: I forgot that I ran the day before! [laughs] On a more serious note, I’m able to keep running for a very personal reason. There was a local brain injury association right by my home, and I went into it a couple of times after my injury, looking for help and support groups. I went back one day, and found it had closed due to lack of funding. At first, I had a poor-me attitude, but then I started thinking about people who weren’t as functionally capable as me — where do they go now? It hit me really hard. It’s easy to complain that things should change, but I think if you’re going to complain, you should be willing to do something about it.

I spent a lot of time screaming and yelling on the inside, but that wasn’t getting me anywhere. I wanted to help out, and I knew I could run. Now, I go places. I’m running across Canada to get the word out. This is an easy way to get people talking, because there are a lot of people who can’t speak for themselves.

Q: What do you think about when you’re running?

A: When I’m tired, and my legs start to hurt, I think about the people I saw when I went through rehabilitation. They got up again after going through so much more than I had, and they made even better jokes than I could. All the sudden, my achy legs don’t matter any more. I also love listening to the Ricky Gervais podcasts. They are so funny. And the best part about having short-term memory loss is that I can listen to same one over and over again, and the jokes are just as funny as the first time.

Q: Where did you find this humour to talk about your disabilities?

A: What’s the alternative? I went through years of pretty serious depression after my injury. But I looked at where my depression was getting me, and it was nowhere. Humour helps me pick up my feet and moving forward. I was also pretty funny before my accident, so I guess I haven’t lost that.

Q: Based on your experiences now, what do you want people to know about brain injuries?

A: I didn’t know anything about brain injuries, until one happened to me. The experience opened my eyes. It’s easy to disconnect and overlook a person with a brain injury because it’s not something you can always see. My big message is that the majority of brain injuries are preventable. And if they can be prevented, I want to make people aware of how to do it.  If I can get one person to throw on a helmet, or to think twice before not wearing a seatbelt or diving headfirst into a pool, I feel like I’ve made a difference.

Each and every brain injury is unique, and I want to help prevent the preventable ones. If we can do that, then we can free up the resources and services desperately needed for brain injuries that aren’t preventable.

Q: Any last words to share before you hit the road?

A: Number one: if a guy with half a brain can do something like this, imagine what you can do. I always say that with a laugh, but I mean it. It is sad that it took a life-changing injury to make me realize the potential that I had. I hope that I can show people that they can achieve great, great things, no matter the setback.

Also, come run with me! You can track me on my website. If you like to run, I’d love the company.

BrainTrust Canada, a community rehabilitation association, says that it has set up a Legacy Fund for McGuire's A Run to Remember event, with proceeds to promote brain injury prevention and develop new strategies for people living with brain injuries.

You can help the cause by visiting A Run to Remember and buying a km for $20, or texting the word “BRAIN” to 45678 to contribute $5. 

Check out McGuire’s progress on his personal running blog.

ARRRRGOS! Fans, teams ready to rock

The Toronto Argonauts prepare for their Home Opener and David McGuire!

TORONTO - It won’t matter if the roof on the Dome is open today or not.

Look out Rogers Centre, Toronto Argonaut fans plan to be so loud they’ll blow it off.

Home openers are like that. The fans, the players are all jacked up and excited about the prospect of a new season and a chance at perhaps getting to and winning the Grey Cup.

Of course all of that will unfold in due course. First things first. The Argos are 1-2 in the first three road games of this young Canadian Football League season, which means a win here Saturday will put them even.

You know they will be motivated.

At 4 p.m. the Boatman and the Bombers of Winnipeg will do battle. But while there will be lots of action on the field, there will also be loads of action off.

And that includes lots of fun before the game.

There is a pre-game tailgate party starting at 1:30 p.m. outside Gate 11, complete with a licensed area with musical entertainment and a barbecue sponsored by Marc Angelo Foods.

Also on hand for pictures will be the beautiful Argos cheerleaders at the Toronto Sun photo wall.

If that’s not already enough, members of our brave Canadian Forces will be honoured. In fact 700 of them and their families are expected.

The national anthem will be performed by the 32 Canadian Brigade Group Band and the Navy Flag Party from HMCS York, Coin toss duties will be handled by the Scotiabank Kid Captain, as well as Brig.-Gen. Fred Lewis and Chief W/O Stan Stapleford.

What a big day planed. But there’s more.

Also to be recognized at the game will be recently retired Argo Adriano “The Kissing Bandit” Belli for his community work through his Big Kiss Fund and David McGuire who on behalf of those who have suffered brain injuries is running a marathon a day across Canada. And after the game the See You on the Field program will kick in where fans can come down and meet the players and get pictures and autographs.

There will also be an official post-game party at Jack Astor’s, 144 Front St. W.

You will see a lot of double blue downtown Saturday. And you may notice the cool new caps and shirts — a product of New Era. I was talking to some people in from Texas who were looking for some Argos stuff to bring home and I sent them over to New Era at 202 Queen St. W, where there was a big party this week with players like Jordan Younger, Claude Wroten, Andre Durie, Chad Owens, Mike Bradwell, Ron Flemons and Dominic Picard modelling the new fashions.

The new merchandise is pretty cool and as a once Argo water boy I must say I am pretty thrilled to see the young people wearing it as much as they do the NFL colours.

The CFL deserves it and so do the Argos which are in their 138th year and have won 15 Grey Cups. This day is all about the fans.

“As part of Fan Appreciation Day, the first 15,000 fans in attendance will receive a Toronto Argonauts ‘All Hands On Deck’ rally towel,” says the team’s news release. “There will be quarterly giveaways for entire rows throughout the game through the Ultimate Fan Contest. Perhaps most exciting of all, one person who attends the Argos home opener will become the first person to be guaranteed a pair of tickets to the 100th Grey Cup game.”

That’s right, next year’s Grey Cup is the 100th and will be at the Rogers Centre and one of you going to this game will be also going to the historic match in November 2012.

But there will be a lot of football played before that.

It will be a decision based on heat and rain about one hour before the game whether it will be indoors our outdoors.

You can tell by all that’s going on, it doesn’t really matter.

Have a great time at the game and a terrific weekend everybody.

Scrawler out.

"Right Now" - Sun Media July 22, 201

David visits the Sun Media Studio in Toronto and speaks with Anita Sharma on "Right Now" about his run across Canada for brain injury awareness and fundraising - July 22, 2011.

CBC Radio One - Metro Morning July 22

David speaks to CBC Radio One Metro Morning Toronto on July 22, 2011.  

Listen online @ youtube.com/r2rcanada

Join us Friday at Nathan Phillips Square!

Come out and meet David in Nathan Phillips Square at 10am!

Details:

Friday July 22, 2011 @ 10am in Nathan Phillips Square for a public meet and greet and then a run down Bay street to Union Station. 

Cross-Canada runner passes through Northumberland

Man raises awareness about brain injuries

Jul 21, 2011 - 04:30 AM

KAREN LONGWELL

GRAFTON -- Runner David McGuire, 38, may have trouble remembering the sights of Northumberland County but it is nothing personal.
Mr. McGuire ran through the county on July 18 and 19 as part of a cross Canada, 42 kilometre a day, trek to raise awareness about brain injuries. He suffered a brain injury in 2005, which changed his personality, he said. He lost friends and he has trouble with short term memory, Mr. McGuire said on the road near Grafton on July 19. He can remember certain things but his memory storage doesn't work as it did before the injury.
"It is like a library where everything is out of order," said Mr. McGuire adding he may not remember this interview or sights from the run.
A Run to Remember started in St. John's, Newfoundland on April 1. Mr. McGuire had hoped to finish in Vancouver in October but he has been slowed by injuries and a bout of food poisoning. The run is sponsored by Brain Trust Canada, a non-governmental organization with a mandate to aid in the prevention of brain injury.
The purpose of the run is to get people thinking about brain injuries, he said.
"The big thing is, it sucks," he said. Friends became frustrated when he didn't remember things and getting back to work was difficult.
"I want to be a contributing member of society," he said. Mr. McGuire was watching television one day in 2005 when something happened - doctors are not sure if he had a stroke, hit his head or had a brain bleed. A portion of his skull had to be removed temporarily to allow for swelling, he said.
Mr. McGuire said the local brain injury office recently closed near his home. He thought about one client in particular who could not speak but had a certain "fire" in his eyes. The loss of services the office provided would be particularly detrimental to this client, said Mr. McGuire. He thought about all the people who couldn't speak for themselves and decided to do something about it.
"I couldn't feel sorry for myself anymore," he said. "I thought of the amount of people who don't have a voice."
Mr. McGuire's wife Mandy Yip and run manager Melissa Wild from Brain Trust Canada support the run. On the road, Ms. Yip or Ms. Wild follow in a vehicle. The heat wave has slowed the run but Ms. Wild said Mr. McGuire should be in Oshawa on Thursday and Toronto on Friday.
Mr. McGuire's story is one of millions in Canada including many national heroes who have or are currently suffering the long-term effects of concussion like Sidney Crosby and Matt Dunigan, said Ms. Wild. They are speaking out about concussion, brain injury, and their personal stories but more people need to know about brain injury and how to prevent it - 90 per cent of brain injuries are preventable by simply wearing a helmet, she said. Such a simple act - putting on a helmet - with such a drastic and wide spread impact, said Ms. Wild.
For more information on A Run to Remember, see the website at www.runtoremember.com.

Read Online: http://www.northumberlandnews.com/news/article/181806

Join Us Ontario!

David is now approaching the Greater Toronto Area.  He has three scheduled meet and greet times in the surrounding area.  Come out and join David and cheer him on!

Oshawa City Hall: 

Thursday July 21, 2011 @ 12pm in the Civic Square (outside City Hall)  meet & greet and proclamation by the Oshawa Mayor of A Run To Remember Day. 

Toronto Downtown: 

Friday July 22, 2011 @ 10am in Nathan Phillips Square for a public meet and greet and then a run down Bay street to Union Station. 

Toronto Argonauts Game:

Saturday July 23, 2011 @ 4pm - David will be present at the regular season opener for the Toronto Argonauts for an 'Argos Welcome' at half-time.  Join us at the game and show David that Toronto is ready to inspire change!  Click here to buy tickets online

An Inspirational Story about Brain Injury Awareness

The Toronto Sun posted an inspirational and moving article on Monday July, 11, 2011 about a man who decided to jog across Canada, a cross-country Run to Remember that began on April 1, 2011 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The run is set to finish in October 2011 in Victoria, British Columbia.
Now, that in itself is quite a mission, but it is his purpose that is special and motivating.
“I’m just a guy with a brain injury…
but I can run, and I have a story to tell.”

David McGuire, of British Columbia, 38, a brain injury survivor, frustrated with Ontario’s Health Care System made the decision to embark on this long journey,  in the name of brain injury prevention. He has partnered with Braintrust Canada. Braintrust Canada states that 94% of brain injuries are preventable.
“When I ran I felt like I could do anything.
I had hopes and dreams again.
I had confidence and courage.
I was a survivor.”

McGuire suffered, and survived a massive stroke in 2005 when his brain began bleeding. He fell into a week-long coma. Doctors told him he would never be able to walk or talk again.
He spent a year recovering with the help of a neurologist, speech pathologist, psychologist, psychiatrist, occupational therapist and social service worker.
Now his focus is on living life, as he says in his YouTube video.  He focuses on living his life by running, biking, traveling, writing, working, playing video games, participating in triathlons.
He has since overcome many barriers such as permanent short term memory loss and aphasia. Aphasia is an impairment of language ability ranging from difficulty remembering words to being completely unable to speak, read or write.  His therapy is running.
In total, his journey across Canada will equate to a marathon a day for 8 months total! A Run to Remember is an event to bring focus and resources to brain injury in Canada. He documents his daily marathons in his blog, found here.
According to Braintrust Canada:

Brain injury is the greatest killer of people under the age of 45;

Brain injury is the greatest killer of people under the age of 44;

Brain injury kills more children under the age of 20 than all other causes combined.

Brain injury is at epidemic proportions in Canada- ” a 747 full of people injured every single day…”

To follow his journey on YouTube, follow this link to see his YouTube channel, where new videos are posted about his journey. Visit the official site at Braintrust Canada- A Run to Remember.
McGuire is expected to jog into Toronto around July 23, 2011.
To read about his experiences, visit his blog.
Gluckstein & Associates LLP is a proud sponsor of Brain Injury Societies across Ontario.  We are proud to help raise brain injury awareness. We believe in injury prevention.

Runner puts the spotlight on brain injuries | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto Sun

Yesterday David spoke with Chris Reynolds of the Toronto Sun. The run team is fast approaching the GTA - anticipated arrival is July 23! Check out the story online:
Runner puts the spotlight on brain injuries | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto Sun

Bitterness and disappointment in Ontario’s health services motivated a brain-damaged man to jog across Canada, running roughshod over the systemic failures and stigma that once held him back.

On a mission to raise awareness for brain injury prevention, David McGuire is now kilometres away from the helpless condition he found himself in following a massive stroke six years ago, living at his parents’ house in his mid-30s and unassisted by the state.

The fuel behind his journey?

“Anger and frustration,” he said. “What I found was, similar to a broken leg, they fixed you and then they sent you home. My case was sort of unique but I think it represents the way we’re moving.”

In 2005, McGuire, 38, suffered a traumatic stroke, fell into a coma and had a portion of his scull temporarily removed and placed in liquid nitrogen.

Doctors told him he would never talk or walk again.

Since then, he has overcome the impairments resulting from the blood vessel rupture through running — a marathon per day for the next two months — in spite of permanent short-term memory loss and aphasia, a language processing disability.

“I started yelling and screaming to anyone who would listen ... I bitched and whined, but I also grew up with the idea that you can’t complain about anything if you’re not willing to do anything about it,” he said.

McGuire partnered with the non-profit Braintrust Canada group to launch “A Run to Remember” — named due to his memory impairment — from St. John’s, Nfld., in April.

He’ll jog into Toronto around July 23. His cross-Canada journey, which has taken him through six provinces so far, seeks to raise funds and awareness for head trauma prevention and research.

For more information, visit www.runtoremember.com or click on the link to see McGuire in action. 

iRun...across Canada!

David speaks to Mark Sutcliffe of iRun.ca about his journey across Canada to raise funds for brain injury prevention and specialized services.

To listen to the entire podcast visit iRun.ca

David Reaches Parliament and Meets up with Joe from Metro News

Picture by: JOE LOFARO/METRO

David McGuire takes a breather on Parliament Hill Thursday 

as he passes through Ottawa on his run across Canada to 

raise awareness about brain injuries.

Brain, body show resilience in cross-Canada charity run

Doctors told David McGuire he wouldn’t walk again — but now he’s running across Canada.

A serious brain injury landed him in the hospital in 2005 and then cost him his job. He made strides in recovery physically, but he slipped into depression and struggled with bouts of short-term memory loss.  At the beginning of last April however, he began A Run to Remember to raise awareness of brain injuries and on Thursday, he passed through Ottawa.

“If some kid puts on a helmet and avoids what I’ve gone through ... that is my ultimate goal,” said McGuire. 

However, McGuire didn't fall off a bike. His brain injury came one day when he was at work, and he just passed out.  Doctors later found he had a stroke.  “It went misdiagnosed because of my age,” said McGuire, adding that by raising awareness about strokes and other brain injuries, he hopes he will prevent people going through what happened to him.

“It’s all about prevention because the majority of brain injuries are preventable.”

McGuire started his run in Newfoundland on April 1 and to date he has covered more than 2,660 kilometres. 

He expects to reach Victoria, B.C. at the end of the run by November. By visiting runtoremember.com, people can track McGuire's journey across Canada and support him along the way.

Read on the Metro Ottawa Website

David enters Ottawa!

July 7th - David will begin his run into our nations capital.  This leg of his journey will begin at 12:00pm at the intersection of Montreal Rd & Rue de l'Eglise.  The route will follow Montreal Rd - Rideau St - Wellington to the front of The Parliament Buildings - the expected arrival time is 12:30pm.  

He will be running with members from the Brain Injury Association of Ottawa Valley and will be met by local members of Parliament including Yasir Naqvi,  Minister of Education.  

Join us at Parliament Hill @ 12:30pm 

to welcome David, cheer him on and congratulate him on completing over 2600km! 

Route Map - for a detailed map please visit our Google Map 

For further information or schedule details please contact the 

Run Manager - Melissa Wild @ 778-821-0395 or runwild@braintrustcanada.com

A Run to Remember!

A Run to Remember! DAVID MCGUIRE WAS TOLD HE MAY NEVER WALK AGAIN, SO HE IS RUNNING INSTEAD. David sustained a brain injury in 2005, and although he was advised that he may never walk again, he started running . . . and completed his first marathon a year after his brain injury! David is running a marathon a day across Canada to raise awareness of brain injury - the event is called A Run to Remember. He began April 1st in St. John’s, NF, and will finish approximately seven months later in Victoria, BC. The name of the event is significant because memory problems are one of the major outcomes of brain injury, as it is for David.  David is working with BrainTrust Canada, a non-profit organization focussed on national brain injury prevention strategies. The net proceeds of the run will create a legacy fund to promote brain injury prevention and develop new support strategies for people living with brain injury in Canada. The website is www.runtoremember.com where people can follow David’s journey, as well as support the cause, including “buying a km for $20”. David visited has visited many schools already along the route and will continue to share his story with the students, including the important message of prevention. His goal is to inspire youth, as they are the highest risk for traumatic brain injury. An amazing 90% of brain injuries are preventable through simple changes in behaviour such as “wearing the gear” (i.e. helmets), “getting trained” and taking “smart risks” vs. foolish ones (i.e. checking how much water is there before you dive in, or not getting in the car with someone who has been drinking). Sponsors for A Run to Remember include BDO Chartered Accountants and Advisors, Foot Solutions franchises, Rogers Communications, Honda Canada, Harmony Honda Kelowna, Canadian Ski Patrol System, supporting companies GPS City; Splash Design; Free Spirit Photography; Post Net Print & Media Group Kelowna, Pro Sign Kelowna, Vega Foods, Spenco Canada, BCAA, Fast Signs St. John’s’ and NGO partners Think First, Preventable and Smart Risk. Brain injury has been labeled an epidemic and is the greatest cause of death and disability under 45, surpassing cancer, heart disease, diabetes and all other causes. Over 170,000 Canadians incur brain injury each year - that’s 480 people per day, or one every 3 minutes . . . more than a Boeing 747 every day! http://www.autoatlantic.com/July2011/July_2011/July_2011_E.htm