Owen Sound teen Jesse Walker completed a half marathon Saturday morning running from Big Bay, Ontario to his home on the Balmy Beach Road in Georgian Bluffs.
Walker was diagnosed with a medulla blastoma as a 14 year old in April of 2018 and underwent a 12 hour craniotomy surgery to remove a tumour.
The operation was followed by countless doses of spinal and cranial radiation, chemotherapy plus multiple blood transfusions and extended hospital stays.
A little more than 2 years later, Walker, now 16, ran a half marathon in just over 2 hours ( about 2 hours & 20 minutes ) Saturday.
Running to honor the memory of his late uncle, John, and also show support for a personal friend, Nick Garrett, Walker had hoped to eclipse the 2 hour mark for his run.
And while he’s disappointed at not cracking 2 hours for his half marathon, Walker and his family are delighted at the level of support the initiative received at every level.
Supporters were on hand at Big Bay at 8 am this morning, multiple spots along the run had well wishers on hand, plus there was a nice barbecue and a large reception at Walker’s house when the run was completed.
At last check, Jesse Walker’s fundraising total for the half marathon was in excess of $ 21,000.