The old saying to climb a mountain just because it is there is not the motivation for one Cochrane man’s upcoming adventure.
Mike Stevenson, 31, is planning to climb the highest point in Canada not to prove anything to himself but to raise awareness and funds for those affected by epilepsy, which include the Cochranite’s sister and seven-year-old daughter.
“You feel so bad, so helpless. You just want to help your kid and you need to be there for her, so this was the one way I could show support for all the other kids and my daughter,” Stevenson said.
On July 4, 2018, Stevenson and a team of four other climbers will tackle Mt. Logan, calling the expedition Mt. Logan Climb for Epilepsy. Located in the Yukon, the mountain is known for having the highest point in Canada – second highest in North America – at 5,959 metres.
“I was always taught you never climb a mountain for no reason – I’ve had several different injuries, fallen many times, had frostbite, had members get sick at different altitudes. You don’t go up there for the sake of going up there,” Stevenson said.
The Cochrane climber started organizing the Mt. Logan Climb for Epilepsy more than two years ago after his daughter was diagnosed as epileptic.
The neurological disorder is marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions, associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain, and affects approximately .6 per cent of Canadians.
The sport is the one way Stevenson feels he can help give back.
Stevenson has been climbing ever since his daughter was born. With 31 mountains tackled in Canada, two climbs in the Himalayas and one climb in Alaska under his belt, the father said he likes to be able to climb for a purpose.
“I never climb to prove anything to anybody,” Stevenson said.
At seven years old, Stevenson said his daughter doesn’t quite “get it.”
“I pretty much just say I am going up there to help everyone. She’s wondering where I am going and why I’m gone for so long,” the father explained.
“It’s been quite the journey.”
While the focus of the climb is to raise awareness for the Children’s Epilepsy Foundation of Alberta, any funds contributed to the team before or during the climb will be donated directly to the foundation.
“I’m actually pretty excited. I’ve been a climber for a long time (and) we have a really good team – you’re only as strong as your weakest climber,” Stevenson explained.
“I feel very confident and also very privileged to be able to work with such an amazing group of people.”
For more information, go to the official Facebook page at ‘Mount Logan Climb for Epilepsy.’
FACTBOX
Epilepsy in Canada
Each day in Canada, an average of 42 people learn that they have epilepsy – 44 per cent are diagnosed before the age of five, 55 per cent before the age of 10, and 75-85 per cent before age 18, with one per cent of children having recurrent seizures before age 14, according to Epilepsy Canada.
