In the cold of October, however, a heat wave emanated from the Vincent d’Indy field in Montreal on Sunday morning.
Several dozen people gathered to welcome and applaud Félix Jasmin, Meg Flynn and their three children, who finished, canoeing on their shoulders, an 18-day, 740 km relay for the benefit of multiple sclerosis research.
Félix Jasmin and his family have inspired more than one in recent weeks. The $ 544,000 in donations are proof of this.
“I feel happy, proud and really loved”, suggests the father of the family in an interview with Press, surrounded by his family on the football field.
“It’s been 18 days of love, friendship and super intense moments. ”
When he learned that he had multiple sclerosis in 2019, Félix Jasmin decided to launch Le Grand Portage, an initiative to raise donations for research into the disease. The name refers to his years at Taylor Statten Camps in Ontario several years ago. It was there that he first met his wife. There, they completed long canoe trips. One of these expeditions consisted of a Grand Portage lasting 13 kilometers.
Last winter, Mr. Jasmin decided to contact all his friends in Quebec and Ontario to tell them about his idea: to relay, with their help, a canoe from Toronto to Montreal. Several dozen of them have embarked on the project.
“The name of Grand Portage is a nod to the long road I had to take to get my diagnosis,” he explains. The canoe is the burden of living with the disease. My wish was to share that weight with hundreds of friends and it was a success. ”
Every morning, from September 30 to October 17, Félix Jasmin and his wife carried the canoe on their shoulders for 13 km. A team then took over for another 13 kilometers, and so on until the end of the day. The canoe traveled 65 km per day.
Even the Prime Minister of Canada joined the family one morning. “Justin Trudeau was an instructor at the summer camp I went to in 1990,” recalls Mr. Jasmin. […] It went really well, we talked about the years spent in Algonquin Park. ”
During our interview in the middle of the football field, Mr. Jasmin continues to be questioned. Congratulations and accolades are plentiful.
“It was inspiring, Felix, well done! », Launches a lady. “I can’t believe you did that,” adds another.
“Me either, I can’t believe it!” », Answers Felix, smiling.
October 21, 2019
In 2015, Félix Jasmin, a young dad of three children aged 1, 3 and 5 at the time, began to feel numbness in one leg. Worried, he consults doctors in neurology, but “everything is correct”.
On the morning of February 14, 2016, he lost his footing in the steps. “It was like my leg couldn’t support me anymore,” he recalls. I tried to play hockey, I was not able to skate, my leg was not following. ”
In the weeks that follow, Mr. Jasmin undergoes a series of tests and examinations. But, this time again, the doctors cannot put their finger on the problem.
“I was starting to have anxiety, I told myself that there was something wrong. I approached a psychiatrist because I was open to the idea that it could be psychosomatic. ”
In 2017, urinary problems manifested themselves. Then, in 2019, he partially lost his sight in his right eye. “There I did a third magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain, and they saw the lesions. ”
Mr. Jasmin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis on October 21, 2019. He knows what it is; his sister Mélanie has had it for 23 years.
At first it came as a bit of a relief to have the diagnosis because I thought I was crazy.
Felix Jasmin
Rage, frustration and fear then followed one another before turning into motivation. In the months that followed, the couple put together Le Grand Portage.
For Beatrice, Abbey and Charlie
The first year, in 2020, the family invited those who wished to take on a sporting challenge to contribute in their own way to the fundraising. No less than $ 375,000 was raised, which far exceeded the goal of $ 50,000.
This year, as we said, more than half a million will be given to the Drs Jack Antel (McGill) and Alexandre Prat (CHUM) to fund their joint research projects. He talks to them every month.
“With the University of Montreal, they managed to guarantee me that 100% of the donations would go to research. There are zero administration costs, ”says Félix Jasmin.
Behind us on the Vincent d’Indy field, a dozen children are having fun. From the lot, Beatrice, Abbey and Charlie, the children of Félix and Meg. The Grand Portage is a little, a lot even, for them too.
“There are a lot of drugs that delay the progression, but we are far from the cure. I don’t think I will be able to benefit from it, but if my children or their friends have [la sclérose en plaques], my dream would be for it to be cured. ”
Since 2019, Mr. Jasmin’s condition has been stable. He has not had other manifestations of the disease and he does not know if he will have any more. Her sister, for example, has only had one crisis in her life.
A great athlete, the 43-year-old man moves as much as possible. On a daily basis, he tries to live intensely in the present moment.
If my condition changes, [mes enfants] will be able to say that we tried to do something.
Felix Jasmin
“The lesson I would like to give them [avec Le Grand Portage], it is to take care of their friendships, to cultivate them. People are going to be there for you when you need them and you need to be there for them when they need it. ”
“I’m proud,” he concludes, referring to all that he and his family have accomplished.
See you in a year for another Grand Portage.