My inspiration

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.