And that’s a wrap on the first annual Making Waves for Autism.

The final tally raised was $45,710.50, which absolutely blows my mind!

The most exciting outcome is the tangible impact this has made, right out of the gates.

As a direct result of the @makingwavesforautism fundraiser, Autism Canada told me they’re now able to proceed with launching their Community Assistance Program (CAP).

It can take upwards of 4 years to get an autism diagnosis in Canada, which is an eternity for a kid. Meanwhile, to get a private diagnosis is really cost prohibitive for a lot of families.

CAP will essentially help bridge this gap. It’ll allow individuals and families to access private diagnosis instead of going through provincial health care. It’ll also provide financial assistance to access different therapies and respite care for caregivers. If you’d like more details, please reach out to @autismcanada .

This is going to have a huge impact in the autistic community and is so very exciting.

But this is not the end. Making Waves for Autism is now an annual event and in 2025 paddlers and rowers from across the country will be able to join in on the journey and further this impact. So stay tuned for 2025 because BIG things are on the way!

So with that, I want to say THANK YOU.

You’ve all been on this journey with me in one form or another. Thank you so much for being a part of it 💙

The finish of my 365km journey (actually it was 366km…I added an extra km since it’s a leap year!)

It’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience, so I definitely wasn’t expecting the tidal wave of emotion that came pouring out at the end…

So what was going through my mind as I finished?

It goes without saying that I was thinking of Tyler a LOT as I worked through my last few kilometres.

But I also thought about the journey.

I thought about all the people who reached out from across the country to share their autism stories and offer words of encouragement.

I thought about the struggles that some of my dearest friends go through on a daily basis as they support family members on the spectrum.

I thought about the amazing young autistic paddler who told me about her troubles with acceptance amongst her peers and reflected on her resiliency.

I thought about the brave little girl with autism who was inspired to do 100 monkey bars to raise funds and awareness.

And I thought about all the people who supported me through this and who I can never fully express how thankful I am.

You’ve all been on this journey with me in one form or another. Thank you for being a part of it 💙

But that’s not the end. My 2024 event doesn’t wrap up until April 2, World Autism Acceptance Day, so there is definitely more excitement to come in this year’s journey. And stay tuned for 2025 because big things are on the way!

For more info or to donate, please visit https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/autism-society-canada/p2p/Making-Waves-for-Autism-2024 💙

#autism #autismawareness #autismacceptance @autismcanada

What does it look like to row 190km for autism? A lot of sweat and a lot of strokes!

Many thanks to @wavephysio and @jacques.christy RMT for keeping this old gal in one piece!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also thank my theragun, cold compression machine, and a boatload of voltaren 🤣

175km to go…bring it on 💪🏻

All donations go to @autismcanada and receive tax receipts. See link in bio 💙

#autism #autismawareness #autismacceptance #rowing @concept2inc #paincave

My inspiration for doing this is my cousin, Tyler, who passed away in August.

Tyler was just a year older than me and left behind a wife and young son, who is on the Autism Spectrum.  It was very unexpected and devastating to anyone who knew him.  He had a heart and soul that was larger than life.

One of the things Tyler was most passionate about was raising funds and awareness for autism.  His goal had been to create a charity boxing event in support of Autism Canada.  Sadly, he passed before being able to do this.

To honour Tyler, I’ve decided to fulfil his goal, albeit with a different sport (since I clearly won’t be taking up boxing!) 

Over the month of March, I will row and paddle a total of 365km, culminating on April 2, which is World Autism Day. During this time, I’ll be sharing a lot of information about autism, as well as my progress towards the completion of the distance.

Why 365km? I specifically chose this distance to represent the 365 days a year that autism impacts our neurodivergent loved ones.

But, just as autism doesn’t simply end, neither will this event.  Although this year is about honouring my cousin, I am expanding this in 2025 and creating a larger scale event, so that Tyler’s legacy can live on forever and we can improve outcomes for those on the autism spectrum.