‘Wonder Woman’ is leading four generations at the 22nd annual Gutsy Walk June 4 in South Langley.
And while Mary Foote isn’t the fictional super heroine equipped with a golden lasso, the 101-year-old Langley City resident is impressive to say the least.
Not only is she a very recent breast cancer survivor, Foote will once again be the oldest person in Canada taking part in Canada’s largest community event committed to raising funds for those suffering from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Crohn’s and Colitis Canada notes that Canadians have more reasons to be concerned about Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis than anyone else in the world, with nearly 250,000 people in this country living with these diseases.
As well, Crohn’s disease has doubled in kids under 10 years old since 1995 and families new to Canada are developing Crohn’s and colitis for the first time – often within the first generation.
Every Gutsy Walk dollar raised will count towards Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s ‘Make it stop. For life.’ campaign which will help raise $100 million to invest in transformational research, patient programs, advocacy, and awareness.
There’s a single motivating factor why Foote, who walked in 2016 at 100 years old, is participating again this year: her 36-year-old granddaughter Krista Olson suffers from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes long-lasting inflammation and ulcers (sores) in a person’s digestive tract.
“I want her to be cured of this disease,” Foote said. “If I can help in any way, that’s important.”
Olson is on HUMIRA and requires injections of the medication every two weeks to control the disease. At its worst, the disease has put Olson in the hospital with bleeding, nausea, and drastic weight loss.
“I was in the hospital six times in five years until they could find the medication that would work properly for it,” Olson said. “There is currently no cure for (the disease).”
Olson is organizing the Fraser Valley West walk at Campbell Valley Park. Registration is at 8:30 a.m., warm-up is 10:15 a.m., and the walk starts at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 4. Distances range from 1.5 km to 4 km. Dogs on leashes are welcome.
Led by Foote, this fundraiser is a true family affair. Joining her on the walk is daughter Edith, granddaughter Krista, grandson Mike, and Mike’s wife Alé along with their eight-year-old son Mattias and five-year-old daughter Amy.
Foote said she’s “ready to go” this year. She’ll be using her walker and her indomitable spirit to help her granddaughter. This centenarian, who walks 15 to 20 minutes every day, is one tough cookie: while Olson isn’t 100 per cent sure, she believes her grandma is the oldest person in Canada to have undergone a mastectomy.
Olson said it’s uplifting to have her whole family involved in the Gutsy Walk. “We all participate, we all do the fundraising and things like that and on the day of (the event) I make them help me.”
Last year’ Olson’s ‘Team TP’ raised $1,300. The Fraser Valley West walk raised a total of $86,000.
For more on the Gutsy Walk, to register, or donate, visit gutsywalk.ca. To donate to Team TP, click on the donate tab, then write ‘Krista Olson’ or ‘Team TP’ in the donate search engine.