By James Peters

Bella Coola man takes ‘A Million Steps’ for MS

Apr 15, 2016 | 9:50 AM

KAMLOOPS — A Bella Coola man will stride into Kamloops today, a milestone toward his monumental goal of walking from Prince George to Vancouver.

Tim Michalchuk is using the task to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis, and money for his wife Shannon’s stem cell therapy.

He says things became tough for the family just before Christmas, when a crash totaled the family’s truck and put a strain on finances.

“For anybody that knows MS, stress can be a huge trigger for a relapse,” said Michalchuk. “[Shannon] relapsed pretty hard, and she went from an independent, proud and capable woman to pretty close to an invalid. She couldn’t get to the kitchen, she couldn’t get to the bathroom by herself. It took a huge toll.”

Michalchuk says times are tight for his family, and using this unique method of crowd funding seemed to make sense.

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“I’m a small town boy in a small part of the world nobody knows, so crowd funding wasn’t really going to work,” said Michalchuk. “I [decided] the only way I’m going to make crowd funding work for me is if somewhere along the line somebody learns my name and sees the cause behind it.”

Michalchuk stayed in Savona last night and plans to make it to Kamloops late today.

To donate to the cause, click here.