A firefighter from Alberta is on Northern Vancouver Island, completing the final leg of a journey in memory of loved ones lost.
Dwayne Buckle set off on foot from Red Deer on Oct. 21st. He made his way across the Rockies, the Kootenays, and the Lower Mainland, before ferrying over to Vancouver Island.
His final destination is Port Hardy.
It’s a nearly 1,200-kilometre trek to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Cancer has hit the 40-year-old firefighter hard, claiming the lives of his aunt, cousin, and grandfather.
As he made his way north of Qualicum towards Courtenay, Buckle spoke about his motivation to spend Christmas on the road in support of cancer research.
“I’m just doing a journey for my family and now doing it for the cancer society,” he said. “I miss my family so I was figuring out the best way to give back to them.”
He trekked 73 kilometres over 14 hours along the east coast of the island on Dec. 28th before finally reaching his destination of Courtenay.
You can donate to the cancer society here.
You can link to his Hike for the Cure 2020 Facebook page here.
