Chris Sadlier meeting fans in Lacombe. (Photo by Chris Sadlier on Instagram)

By David Opinko

Sadlier reaches Lacombe in Lethbridge-Edmonton “Walk to Breathe”

Jul 21, 2021 | 2:51 PM

LACOMBE, AB – Chris Sadlier is about four-fifths of the way done his 500 km journey.

He is walking from Lethbridge to Edmonton to raise awareness and funds for the Lung Association of Alberta & Northwest Territories, inspired by his father’s double lung transplant five years ago.

READ MORE: Man begins Lethbridge-Edmonton walk to raise awareness & funds for lung disease

Sadlier left Lethbridge on July 7 and plans to reach the finish line on Friday, having about 90 kilometres left to go when he left Lacombe early Wednesday morning.

Last year was his first Walk to Breathe where he went from Calgary to Edmonton.

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“This year it’s definitely further, more grueling, the heat in Southern Alberta and the smoke we’ve encountered for about five days straight through High River, Okotoks, Calgary, through Central Alberta – it was a factor, I’m not going to lie. It was an absolute factor to the point where I wasn’t sure if we’re going to have to halt the walk.”

Having already trekked more than 400 kilometres over the last two weeks, it has not only been tough physically but mentally as well.

He has been walking 30 km each day, breaking at the halfway point, and although he loves the natural beauty of the prairies, the fact that there are few physical landmarks that can be seen in the distance makes it that much harder to keep going.

“Mentally, you start thinking, ‘What am I doing? Are we even accomplishing our goal out here, or am I just killing myself and nobody’s even taking notice?’ The answer is a resounding yes, we are making a difference and people along the way have made it very clear that they know why we’re out here. They’re very supportive of what we’re doing.”

It’s the personal connections made along the journey that have kept him going for 15 days straight.

He told LNN about meeting a 10-year-old boy in Calgary who has asthma. Upon seeing the RV that has been following Sadlier, the boy’s mother gave him a $20 bill and told him to make the donation.

“He said, ‘Is this your first donation? Is this the one? Is mine your first donation?’ I said, ‘You know what, buddy, this is my first donation of the day and I couldn’t be more appreciative. Thank you.'”

The goal is to raise $50,000 for the Lung Association. As of 2:30 pm on Wednesday, the fundraising website shows that approximately $33,000 has been collected so far.

Sadlier has been told that there are numerous businesses that are organizing fundraisers, so he expects the total to rise in the days and weeks ahead.

You can follow his journey on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram as he is posting frequent updates there.

Donations to Walk to Breathe can be made here.