An Island teen with muscular dystrophy received a helping hand up Mount Douglas thanks to the Saanich Fire Department.
CHEK first introduced viewers to teacher Lindsay Cristante and her former student Quinn Schaddelee in February. Cristante vowed to run 100 kilometres in one day to raise $100,000, with the money helping make Schaddelee’s home more accessible as the teen battles muscular dystrophy.
So far the community support has been overwhelming.
“So appreciative of everybody’s support both in the financial and monetary way but also in just their words and reaching out to us,” says Cristante.
With Cristante’s run fast approaching, the Saanich Fire Department decided to step in and help boost donations, vowing to carry Schaddelee all the way to the top of Mount Douglas.
“I was aware that Lindsay was a little bit shy on her goal of $100,000 which is just such an amazing goal,” said firefighter Troy Schaddelee.
“She was at $72,000 and I thought this would be a great chance to help push her over the top,” adds Schaddelee.
“He reached out and obviously he’s a Schaddelee he knows the family and so he offered to get a crew together to let Quinn be part of this and bring him up to the top of Mount Doug,” smiles Cristante.
From the moment the idea was pitched to him, Quinn was also in favour of the plan.
“I thought it was a great idea and all the strong firefighters to bring me up would be really fun,” says Schaddelee.
So, the team climbed up the mountain and when they finally reached the summit, Schaddelee was hoisted into the air to enjoy an unobstructed view of Victoria.
It was a moment that made all the physical effort worthwhile.
“Just his smile says everything, having him be able to experience something that I feel grateful to experience whenever I go for a run,” says Cristante.
“So having him be a part of that is very cool,” adds Cristante.
“It was just amazing to get right to the very tip-top and to have his chair up there too and the view,” says Schaddelee.
To donate to Lindsay’s fundraiser, visit her GoFundMe page. The run starts and ends on June 5.
Cole Sorenson
