By Charles Lefebvre

Man running across Canada for rare disease research stops in Medicine Hat

Jul 10, 2018 | 5:15 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Dave Proctor is running towards the record books.

The Okotoks resident began running from Victoria, B.C. last month, with the goal of reaching Newfoundland in 66 days, which would set a new record for fastest time running across Canada. He made his way into Medicine Hat on a windy Tuesday morning, meeting a cheering crowd at Staples, where a fundraising pancake breakfast was held.

“It’s been a journey,” Proctor said. “I know we started with big gusto in Victoria and kept going and going and going.”

Proctor, who is running an average of 108 kilometres per day, says the journey has been very physical, noting he has suffered from sleep deprivation in the early parts of the challenge. He adds just getting out of bed is the biggest struggle.

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“Knowing very well that you’ve got a big day ahead of you, and not being able to move your toes and moving your ankles and moving your knees in the morning, and thinking how this is going to work,” he said. “But it does work. You just have to take that first step.”

Proctor is running to raises awareness and funds for the Rare Disease Foundation, which funds projects aimed at discovering genes which cause rare diseases. It’s a cause that’s personal to him.

His son, Sam, 9, suffers from Relapsing Encephalopathy with Cerebellar Ataxia (RECA). The condition is very rare, with only five people in the world being diagnosed with the disease, which impacts balance and coordination.

“We’ve gone through this journey, and we’ve come to realize there’s very little support,” he said. “There’s almost no support for families living with rare diseases in this country. We’re one of the only developed countries in the world that doesn’t have a rare disease strategy moving forward.”

During each stop, Proctor has met with several families and children who have been impacted by rare diseases. Stacey Walter, who helped organize Tuesday’s event, was one of those people.

Walter has a personal interest in Proctor’s journey, as she lost her father last year to  Mycobacterium avium complex a rare lung disease similar to tuberculosis.

“A lot of people have heroes. Dave is mine,” she said. “My dad actually had a rare disease and passed away last year from it, so not only does it hit home for me on like a human being level of ‘wow, look at this guy,’ it hits home for me because my dad didn’t have a lot of research towards his (disease) either.”

Proctor adds meeting with families who are dealing with rare diseases gives him extra motivation to complete his journey.

“That head wind? That’s got nothing,” he said, referring to the weather on Tuesday. “I’ve got an incredible amount of power now than what I came in here, talking to these young kids, and talking to these young families living with rare disease.”

More information about Proctor’s run can be found at outrunrare.ca