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Day 30!!

Wednesday 30th Sep

Day 30 Update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September .. THE LAST DAY!!

I can't believe it's the last day of our walk .. I woke up this morning very very tired. Coffees & dishes later & Nolan drove himself up to U of G. I came home & made the bad decision of going to Costco. I thought Wed at 12:15 pm would be fine. 😂 Not a good idea. Went to pick up my free range eggs after. Got home, did laundry & then went up to Shift for an appt with my massage therapist. My body is in pain. Got home & laid down; I am often very tired after my appts up there. Had dinner & got out for a short walk. Definitely didn't have my best day but I'm ok with that! Tomorrow I will give a wrap up report! Today's totals with David Lum ..

Steps - 8508

Kms - 5.64

Tonight is the last night to contribute to our campaign! See links below:

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 29 .. only 1 day left!

Tuesday 29th Sep

Day 29 Update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

Another super low energy day. I'm basically walking around on fumes. Nolan drove himself to school & I came home to get ready to go to lunch with Dan McLean Jr .. we went to Elora to check out The Metcalfe Smokehouse & the monsters are out! I love them & it made me feel nostalgic for Riverfest Elora where they would be hung throughout the festival. Food was soooo good! I haven't eaten since 😂 came home & napped for 1 1/2 hrs. I am beyond tired. I am having improvement with Shift Concussion Clinic & I like the idea behind the information shared in Sarah Polley's book, Run Towards The Danger. In it, the specialist recommends that she needs to not limit her exposure to things that trigger but lean into them in order to recalibrate or retrain her brain. I like this idea but it's not so simple for me with long Covid & my past brain hemorrhage. It's a complex combination of exposing myself to triggers but with pacing & knowing my contributing factors to my pain threshold & overstimulation. I need a neurologist & stat! But the waitlist is stagnant. Sigh & breathe & walk.

Today's totals with David Lum

Steps - 9122

Kms - 6.25

Only tonight & tomorrow left! My body is ready for a wee rest as can be seen by my Garmin watch body battery assessment. Thanks to everyone who has contributed & cheered us on! Takes a village ❤️

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 28

Tuesday 29th Sep

Day 28 update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

I woke up exhausted today so was super happy when there really wasn't much on my plate. I met up with a fellow concussion patient from Shift Concussion cause she had some resources & advice she wanted to give me & chat about. I also told her about Sarah Polley's book, Run Towards The Danger, about her life including her concussion. Thnx to Kim Fry for recommending it! Then I came home, made dinner then went to the session with the municipal elections candidates regarding food insecurity & homelessness at the Dublin Church. Another no show from one mayoral candidate. 🤔 So today wasn't my best showing at all. But I am so tired, beyond tired.

Our day totals with David Lum :

Steps - 10,500

Kms - 7.92

We have 2 days left so if you're still wanting to contribute to our fundraising, the countdown is on. I hate to say it but I am sooooo looking forward to lying on my couch in 3 days & literally sleeping until I come out of my cocoon of exhaustion. But I am thrilled that we did it, that you have all been so supportive & that we raised so much for such a worthy cause. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 27

Monday 28th Sep

Day 27 update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

I'm soooooo sleepy .. I can barely keep my eyes open to write this so let's be concise. Late night last night met with an early morning. Coffee & chat with Kimberley Archer before leaving. Drove to Guelph to home. Came home to find out whether my youngest, Nolan Marton had survived homecoming at U of G. All good. He & Katy gave me an entire rundown. Laid on the couch trying to revive. Went for a stroll with Cecile Gough & a wee visit to the Boathouse for a non dairy treat & more intel from the uni students who work there. Then we went to the Wooly for nachos for dinner. Just got back from Nolan driving himself up to uni volleyball. I am nearly a zombie. 🧟😵 It is definitely time for bed!! 😴🥱🛌💤

Today's totals:

Steps - 14,841

Kms - 10.06

(Edited .. I was so tired I used yesterday's numbers 🤣😴)

Our fundraising totals:

Me - $1115

David - $880

Team - $25

Total raised - $2020

Not too shabby for two mutually decrepituded oldsters! (David's words)

Anyone still interested in supporting these two old, tired walkers can below:

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 26

Monday 28th Sep

Update for day 26 for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September (1 day late) ..

I thought other days were long but yesterday was beyond everything else so far. The day started when I woke up & decided I should stick around for the Fight Ford Province-wide Protest here in Guelph. I didn't want to leave Anne Moore on her own downtown there! So I picked up Sandy Massengale & we headed to the protest. It was a small but boisterous crew of about 30 people. Lots of honking & support from cars, GoBuses, trucks & more. Yesterday there was a lot of competition with the protest, ie homecoming, the downtown dog promenade, a pottery market by the river & just gorgeous weather that probably drew people to their cottages or one last weekend away. All good! We're staying the course. Then I drove to Barrie, dropped into my folks place for a quick visit then went to the house of Kimberley Archer to get ready for the annual Lakeside Charity Concert Series hosted by Jody and Steve Jody Wood Martin at their waterfront home. This year they were raising vital funds for Women & Children's Shelter of Barrie .. Bands were The Spoons and Honeymoon Suite. Always a fun time seeing the Barrie crew .. Jody Allen Kathryn Wismer Nancy Howden Bryan Harris Jill Woods Sylvie Graziani Worrall Terry Worrall Adam LeBoeuf Larissa Mair Traci Wales Anastasia Saradoc and so many more people. Always like a highschool reunion. Drove back this morning & think I might need the week to recover.

Our totals:

Steps - 19,804

Kms - 14.1

David Lum had msg'd me when the first band was just starting so it was hard to respond 😂 I could barely think straight. Lol.

Only 4 days left .. will we make $2000?? We're at $1995. 🤣

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 25

Friday 25th Sep

Update day 25 Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September

Another long day .. they've all felt long lately. Still 5 days to go & then obviously I will still keep walking but maybe not with such a compelling need.

Had to go to Waterloo to my pain clinic appt this morning then stopped at the Maryhill market for lunch. Sadly the smash burgers weren't until 4 pm so I got a sandwich instead but it was soooo good. Came home & fell into bed since I was exhausted. Slept for almost 2 hrs. Got up & walked in the neighbourhood but it was beautiful out. Came home & made dinner & watched a movie with the movie group. Just heard from David Lum .. are day totals below! Hopefully I will sleep like a log 😴💤🛏️

Day totals: steps - 9773

Kms - 6.92

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 24

Thursday 24th Sep

What a long, long day .. I am exhausted. Went to an appt, then went on an incredible outing with Dan McLean Jr to Joanie's in Belwood. Just go!! It's everything you want it to be. Best burger I think I have ever eaten (think bacon, crispy smash burger with mozzarella & a peach jam that blew my mind - sweet & salty combo which is a chef's kiss 😘) with a side salad cause I am a lady 😂 but then we went across the road to buy the best butter tarts that, frankly, shouldn't be legal at the Bellwood Country Market .. omg. Drool worthy! I will be freezing these for later. Came home & Devin came to help around the house & then I went up to the uni to watch him play hockey. I had to grab a coffee cause I was fading & I don't think they approve of people sleeping in the stands 😴 I needed to get my steps so I lazily walked through the gardens at the uni. Beautiful. Then I headed off to the mayoral debate at the ICC. And now I'm a zombie. I did get my steps in though, jeez! And so did David Lum so we had a good day.

Day totals: Steps - 13,408

Kms - 9.23

We are sitting at $1995 dollars raised with 6 days left. I need to sleep now! 💤🛏️

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 23

Wednesday 23rd Sep

Day 23 update Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

Woke up still not feeling great so had to go get some tests done then went up to Shift. They always help with my neck & back pain 🙌 Decided I would go somewhere different today so I went to the Arboretum up at U of G. So beautiful up there. The workity work is getting in the way for David Lum but he's still showing up.

Today's totals:

Steps - 8404

Kms - 5.84

I'm sitting at $1115 thnx to a generous donation from John Kieffer and the team is at $1995! Thank you to everyone who has donated no matter the amount. It all adds up 👣 & we still have 7 days to go. Walk on!

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 22

Tuesday 22nd Sep

Day 22 .. I don't even know if I need to say it but another crazy day. It never ends! Oh well .. got out into that sun shiny day & did my best even though the world's against me right now. David checked in as well so another banger day .. we are $125 short of $2000 raised!! Will wait til the last day to see if we make it by donations. Ty everyone!!

Todays totals:

Steps - 13,218

Kms - 9.32

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

#heartandstroke90kmsinSeptember

Day 21

Monday 21st Sep

Drum roll, pls .. we have met our walk goal of 180 kms!! Or 90 kms each as of today. We are ah-mazing, in case you didn't know 😂🤣

The struggle has been real. This morning I ended up back at the Dr's office cause the meds were NOT being nice to me so I Duck Duck Go'd some info & didn't like what I saw. Doc agreed with me so no more meds for now except still the eye drops. And a blood req for if things don't resolve in a few days for more tests. But whatever .. we hit our goal but will still keep walking & raising money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. I have too many people who have been affected including my cousin, Joann McCann who had a stroke this summer. My two Aunts, Aunt Joy who is Joann's mother and my Uncle Bernie's wife, Jane who both had brain aneurysms. Plus the two of us, me & my teammate, David Lum .. one step at a time, one day at a time.

If you're thinking you'd still like to contribute, you have 1 week and 2 days left. We'll still keep showing up! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. ❤️❤️ You're all incredible

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https:give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 20

Sunday 20th Sep

Day 20 update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

Another low energy day due to my eye & the meds I am on. I might need to go see my GP again early this week since it's not really improving & they're making me feel so nauseous. I did manage to go for a walk with Cecile Gough but mostly stayed around the house which is why I have a video of my cats snoring in their cat tree 😂 Turn your volume up! Lol

David Lum msg'd me right when I was thinking about writing this update so here you go ..

Steps - 12,695

Kms - 8.83

Only 10 days left .. walk on!

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 19

Saturday 19th Sep

Day 19 update Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

Well there's really not much to say about today except antibiotics suck, they make you feel sick to your stomach & are basically taking away any mojo I might have. So no photos from today, only a screenshot of my lame walk I did after doing laundry, napping & making soup. Heard from David Lum so here you go ..

Steps: 11,180

Kms: 8.02

Anyone still wanting to support us .. we have only 11 days left!

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 18

Friday 18th Sep

Day 18 update for Heart and Stroke Walking 90 kms in September ..

Woke up to my eye being redder, puffier & more fluid underneath my eye. We already had an appt with the Dr for Nolan so I just tagged on. So now I'm on yet another week of both antibiotics for 3 weeks. I then had to go to Waterloo for my pain clinic appt. My head pain has been pretty bad all week & not sure why. Could be the antibiotics, the weather, my concussion .. the list grows. Went back to the Egyptian restaurant for snacks & then on the way home, I finally stopped at the farm shed I pass on every drive. Located on Bridge St off of Ebycrest Rd/RR-17, it's just delightful & the worker was friendly & funny. Picked up a pumpkin, some gourds, some squash to eat, some decorative corn cobs & some flowers. I had intended to just look around 😂 Ended up going for a slow walk with Cecile Gough so managed to get my steps in. Ready for bed though! This has all been exhausting.

Totals for today includes update from David Lum :

Steps - 12,608

Kms - 8.7

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 17

Thursday 17th Sep

Day 17 update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

Had my 3rd appt today in Brampton for my long Covid study. Still on track with their recommendations for the next little while to see if there are improvements. Wanted to drive home through Georgetown but my GPS had other plans. Drove home & ended up on some random road with absolutely stunning mansions. Ended up in Erin then drove into Rockwood for some food from Tithorea. Got home & was exhausted so I laid down. That's when I turned on my phone to check messages & found out the sad news of Donna McCaw passing. So sad & tragic. A friend had asked this morning if I would go to Take Back The Night so that's what we did & she brought her youngest son. It was a moving event & so important given the state of the world we're living in these days. It all seemed to hit me down there, by the river with so many people standing in solidarity for safe spaces, respect, autonomy & ending sexual violence. Another long & emotional day.

Our day for me & David Lum ..

Steps - 14,426

Kms - 9.94

Btw I am only $5 away from raising $1000 & we're only $125 away from raising $2000 as a team. Such incredible support from everyone ❤️ thank you 🥰

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 16

Wednesday 16th Sep

Day 16 update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

I woke up this morning with the worst headache I've had in a long time. I'm not supposed to be taking any pain killers but after a few hrs & nausea building, I finally caved & took a headache pain killer that combines acetaminophen & caffeine. I had two appts at Shift Concussion Clinic so I was hoping it would kick in. Dressed for solidarity with our education workers. I had an hour of neck & back work that definitely helped. Then I went for a wee walk at the Arboretum to get some fresh air. It definitely felt like a storm was coming but it never did. Found yet again another feather. Got today's totals from David Lum .. we are officially past half way!

Today we did ..

Steps - 10,970

Kms - 8.07

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 15

Tuesday 15th Sep

Day 15 update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

Lucky to have Devin Marton to drive me to my appt in Hamilton today at the Firestone Clinic. Appt was at 9:45 am for some initial tests & then follow up with my Immunologist Dr. Paul Keith. In spite of me having continued anaphylactic reactions, he wants me to stay the course with all my meds & is hopeful that I will start to feel better if I up my compliance. Devin found a great restaurant close by so we went for lunch & it was so good. Food left for dinner! Highly recommend. I wish I had taken a photo of the bizarre scene we saw on our walk back to the car .. a squirrel perched on top of a bush eating something surrounded by at least 10 pigeons. We couldn't stop laughing. It would've made a great album cover. Lol.

He drove us back to Guelph & I slept solidly for over 2 hrs. I was so tired that I never went for a real walk today but I still managed to get 3.7 kms just from life itself. Tomorrow will hopefully be better. David Lum sent me his watch pic & his daily count. See my FB page for images.

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 14 ..

Monday 14th Sep

Day 14 update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September .. a long post.

Well today was another long day filled with emotions. Got up early to spend some last quiet time with Laura Stephens to say thnx for their hospitality (her & Frank Barbaro were my AirBnb on Gibbon Dr) 😂 They & Stella their dog were amazing hosts! Then off to Melrose Ave to say goodbye for now to my Aunt Lynne Sanders , my Uncle John & my cousin, Raven. I can't express how incredibly lucky I feel that they were able to come, connect & see us all, especially my mom. We spent some time searching for the beautiful earrings I was gifted from Raven from Panama where she lives. We couldn't find them anywhere. Hugs were shared, love you's were spoken & my Aunt whispered in my ear "it was bittersweet". I held back tears as I knew what she meant.

Part of the reason I am walking is due to this bittersweet reality. My mom's mom, nicknamed Denny by all who loved her, passed from complications of strokes. My mom's current condition is a result of multiple strokes. I had a stroke of sorts when I was 30. Is this my inevitable ending? Am I going to be headed toward the queue for this slow loss of self & being? Why are women more likely to be afflicted? Should we accept this inevitable or fight to raise more money for research, women's based research? Is it hormonal? Why do women carry their weight around their internal organs & could we do something to eradicate our risk? Where is the outcry for more .. more money, more research, more compassion. A long day, a long post.

I drove home thinking over all of the things that happened over the weekend. Beautiful things. Beautiful memories. Hard things but inevitable. I'm tired but resolute. What choice do we have? You just take one day, one step- stay hopeful. Hopeful for change. Hopeful for progress. Hopeful for beautiful moments that you can hold in your heart.

I got home to my cats who were very happy to see me. I completely unpacked & went through each piece of clothing. And found my earrings.

Because that's how you carry on in spite of everything. You show up, you bring empathy, practicality, patience, humour, humility & lots of love. And laughter. And you keep putting one foot in front of the other. And you breathe. And you have gratitude for friends, family & finding grace in the chaos. ❤️

Totals for today for the two of us (my teammate, David Lum )

Steps: 13,877

Kms: 9.8 kms

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 13

Monday 14th Sep

Day 13 update Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

Another full day in Barrie with the whole fam jam & more. Went to see Kimberley Archer and Sheri Perricone for lunch & a catch up. What a spread! So great to see these ladies. Then came back for my walk with Raven where we saw this incredible vintage car & ironically found out Devin Marton was coming with Praneda for dinner at almost the same time (he loves vintage cars). Such a great night before they leave tomorrow. I'm so glad I came for the weekend even though I am exhausted. Heard from David Lum and we had another great day. I'll be so tired by the time I get back to Guelph tomorrow.

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 12

Monday 14th Sep

Day 12 Update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

Slept in at my AirBnb on Gibbon Dr, had a slow lazy morning catching up with Laura Stephens and Frank Barbaro with Stella then made my way over to my folks place. Busy day at the house with both of my brothers there to see our relatives from Oregon and I took my dad and Aunt Lynne on a tour of Amica. What a beautiful facility. Came back to the house to see my brothers off then went to see Sheri Perricone and her mom, Brenda at her mom's house. So good to see her mom after our raucous teenage years at their homes. Lol. Came back afterwards and finally got some steps in with my cousin & my Aunt. We sat down at the top of the 100 steps before heading back for dinner. David Lum sent me his pics from today & gently reminded me that I hadn't updated our fundraising page since the 8th (oops! Fixed that). Thnx to everyone who has donated so far .. ❤️❤️❤️ btw our collective kms are 101 so only 79 kms to go 😂

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 11 update ..

Saturday 12th Sep

Day 11 Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September update:

Woke up today for an appt with an ENT specialist about my voice. I've been having difficulty with singing, breath control & got diagnosed with asthma 2 yrs ago. He put a tiny camera down my nose into my vocal chords & made me talk & sing. He diagnosed me with muscle tension dysphonia & sent off a referral to a speech pathologist. The only thing that's unfortunate is the wait time. But yay, no nodes on my vocal chords! So no surgery.

So then after I drove to Barrie to see my folks & my Aunt Lynne, Uncle John & my cousin, Raven from Oregon. I haven't seen my cousin for over 25 yrs so it was so so good to see her ❤️ These are photos of her AirBnb on Napier St. So cute! We also went for a good walk so the team showed up today! I'm staying at my own AirBnb on Gibbon Dr. 😉 David Lum sent his video for today & we did good! Lol

Today's totals:

Steps - 16,918

Kms - 11.77

And now I'm exhausted 😴

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 10 Update ...

Saturday 12th Sep

Day 10 Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September update ..

Today was a great but long day. Had an appt at noon then had to go to the pain clinic in Waterloo for an appt. Ran into Cecile Gough & had planned a meet up with David Lum for lunch & a walkabout for posting. David & I went to lunch at an incredible Turkish restaurant (see menu in pics). I picked up some treats for Jennifer Duggan & dropped them off. Came home pretty tired but it was so nice out, I went for a wee walk. Sunset was stunning 😍

Today's totals:

Steps - 15,591

Kms - 10.62

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 9 update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September

Saturday 12th Sep

Day 9 update for Heart and Stroke Walk 90 kms in September ..

Oddly enough, David Lum & I flipped our days with yesterday. I woke up feeling a bit of a regression with my angry eyeball so had low energy. Had my physio & massage at Shift Concussion Clinic & walking up the 2 flights of stairs seemed foreboding. I ended up back at the after hours clinic & I am on another week of both antibiotics to make sure it's completely cleared up. So one step at a time, one day at a time. Still sitting at $425 of my goal of $750 and as a team, we're at $1305 of our goal of $1500. Which isn't really mathing but I am way too tired to solve that! Lol

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 8

Tuesday 8th Sep

Day 8 Heart and Stroke walk 90 kms in September ..

Only 2 days left of my meds so waiting until tomorrow to see if I need to go back to my doctor for one more check up. It's better but not gone. Will decide tomorrow morning. But for today, another busy but sunny day. Appts at Shift for my concussion & post accident help. Met a lady today who has had vision problems post concussion for almost 5 yrs so she was giving me contacts & advice. Really happy to have met her. After the appt went for a walk around my neighbourhood. Another fave garden. Another feather outside the library. Went to sing happy birthday to my brother & had a piece of bday cake.

Totals for today:

Steps: 10,092

Kms: 6.8

Totals to date: 68 kms

Walking at Royal City Park

Monday 7th Sep

Day 7 ..

Monday 7th Sep

Day 7 update for Heart and Stroke 90 kms in September ..

Eye is definitely improving but still sore so still not up to stuff. But bored with staying home & not doing much. Funny that. Anyway, Nolan wanted to drive up to the uni to grab some textbooks so he drove us up there & I was the passenger. It's an odd thing but he's coming along! It was such a nice day out that after I went & walked the loop around Royal City Park along the river off of Wellington St. Such a gorgeous day! It was way warmer than I was expecting. Wanted to stop at the Boathouse for a treat but was diligent & kept walking. Today was probably the longest so far this month, I think. Which might explain my low body battery. I know I'm supposed to pace myself but it's not easy!

Got my nightly check in from David Lum & we did well today!

Totals were: 11.1 kms and 16,871 steps! Not too shabby for only day 7. Which puts our totals at 60 kms out of 180 if we're both doing 90 kms.

Day 5 update (sorry! Realized this was missed yesterday)

Sunday 6th Sep

So I woke up this morning feeling a slight "information sharing" hangover from all the info I shared with yesterday's post .. but then I thought "oh well!". Lol. I also woke looking less awful, I think & have since improved more with each dose of the antibiotics. Still far from looking like my normal 2 eyed person but less Cyclops like.

Still not exactly up for much so went for an early afternoon walk & then went to see Coyote vs Acme tonight with Cecile Gough as she'd already seen my new look 👁️ super silly & a fun movie. The laughs from all the kids in the theatre was also highly entertaining!

David Lum sent me a msg with a pic of his fitbit today. Together we walked 6.52 kms & got 9,407 steps.

Below is a picture from my walk of one of my favourite gardens on my walks & David's fitbit. Thnx to everyone who has donated! And fyi, we're only $75 away from hitting half of our goal of $1000. You're all the best! We've also walked 41 kms by day 5 .. and our collextive goal is 180 kms so 139 kms to go.

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 6 update

Sunday 6th Sep

I woke up this morning & my eye had made some improvement. Yay! But it's still sore & swollen so slow & steady. A bunch of friends offered their services to help me out & I took one friend up her offer. Thnx, Julia Catoli ❤️

Went for a mid day walk about & the sky was beautiful out. Came home, did some errands & then went to a $5 movie at Cineplex with a friend to at least feel like something happened this long weekend. Something fun. Got home for dinner & got a text from David Lum about his walk today. See pics below!

Today we got: 8.34 kms & 11,924 steps bringing us to 49 kms & a lot of steps 😂 we're sitting at $425 so just $75 away from half of our team goal of $1000. It's day 6 so 24 days to go! If you'd like to help us on the journey, hit either link below. Ty to everyone who's contributed so far ❤️

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 4 update (it's long!)

Friday 4th Sep

So after yesterday's big reveal of me having this serious eye infection & given that I got my antibiotics & antibiotic eye drops, I was hoping for some improvement possibly this morning. But nope. Woke up & it was worse. Much worse. So I of course googled the condition my GP had said that I had & it was no bueno. He had indicated that I had cellulitis in my eye, which when you read it, it's pretty serious & potentially very bad. Like loss of vision, brain complications & lovely stuff like that. So Cecile Gough had already asked me to check in with her when I woke up so I took some comparison pics & sure enough, she wasn't having any of it. She came & picked me up & dropped me at the ER at GGH. They took me pretty quickly, assessed the situation, I got back to see the ER GP who did an examination then ordered me some pain meds & an eye CT. They wanted to give me CT dye but I put a stop to that. Went for the CT, results came back & they had been looking to see if there was an infection behind my eye. Luckily there was NOT an infection behind, just one in front of my eye which had infected the muscles & tissues around the eye. He only told me after that if there had been an infection behind the eye, I would've been in emergency surgery right away. So sent home, told to take my meds as told (4 x a day for both meds) plus Tylenol & Advil 4 x daily and in 24-48 if things aren't improving or are worse, to come back. So Devin & Praneda picked me up, brought me home & I hung out with them getting caught up on that trial of Lindsay Clancy (I was clueless) & then I went for a wee walk to get my steps in. No rest! Lol. So needless to say, I think I'll sleep well tonight ruling out some fairly heinous possibilities. Phew! I'm on meds for 7 days so fingers & toes crossed for improvement. David Lum will probably do his own update later tonight. Thnx to everyone who has contributed so far! You're all awesome. If you'd like to help out, links below.

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Day 3 for both of us

Thursday 3rd Sep

Today was officially a crazy day! It started out with me getting up & getting ready for my appt at the pain clinic in Waterloo & I hate driving on Hwy 7 so I take the back roads through Maryhill. I had left them a msg last night making sure I could go cause both myself & my pharmacist thought I had a sty in my eye & he had given me drops (this is relevant .. just wait). Anyway, I got to the appt, everything was fine but the pain doctor said watch that eye, it doesn't look great & they can be caused by stress. So on my way back to Guelph, I stopped at the Maryhill market for bfast/lunch (they bbq smash burgers). Photos are on my FB page. Such a cute place. But by the time I got back, it was humid again so I laid down. When I got up, my eye was hurting a lot more but I wanted to walk so I did. Got home & looked in the mirror & my eye was a lot more swollen & hurt a lot more. Called a friend who said you better get that checked so I went to the after hours clinic & had to wait for 3 hrs to be seen. But it was important cause I have a serious eye infection that needs oral antibiotics & eye drop antibiotics. It could be very bad & cause a lot of problems if it doesn't clear up soon. Sooooo .. there you have it. Luckily David walked a lot!! See pics & video on my FB page update. Stay healthy, everyone!! You can't make this stuff up. My life is chaos at all times. Oh well! Walk on.

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann

https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Tornado warning!

Wednesday 2nd Sep

David Lum had planned on walking but .. the skies had other plans. Lol. Go to my FB page to see his video 😂🧹

Weather alerts for a tornado so ..

Wednesday 2nd Sep

Day 2 update: So my usual life duties luckily got me my 3 kms before the heavens opened here for torrential rain! It was teeming as can be seen in the video from my teammate, David Lum 😂stay safe, everyone! I put away my red slippers & was thinking about getting out my broom 🧹 https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/juliemccann Or https://give.heartandstroke.ca/fundraisers/walkingforwellnesswithjulie

Two short walks cause it's 102 outside 🫠

Tuesday 1st Sep

I'm planning on finishing the day's walk when it's cooler outside .. it's just gross out!

Next photo for day 1 so far ..

Tuesday 1st Sep

Body battery isn't too great at this point

Day 1 so far

Tuesday 1st Sep

Today isn't over but it's been a lot! I had a 6 min walk test at my long Covid study appt then came home, ate lunch & tried to go out. I had no idea how hot out it was 🥵 so I came for a nap instead cause my body battery had taken a hit from the drive & everything getting to & from Brampton. Their drivers are coco loco!

New teammate!!

Monday 31st Aug

I'm excited to have David Lum join me on my team! (He did it one day early so our pages merged. Lol. Oops!) So I raised our fundraising goal by $500 cause David was already participating for the month of August & his friends/family had been very generous in supporting him. You can read David's own story on his page. Deeply impacted personally but very lucky that he had his heart attack where they could intervene & save his life. Everyone who cares about him feels very fortunate for that ❤️ So welcome to David! Tomorrow will be my first day officially walking & will give you updates as each day transpires. Thnx for following our team.

Too many people I ❤️, including myself

Friday 14th Aug

Hi, everyone .. I personally had a SAH or subarachnoid hemorrhage when I was 30 yrs old in 2000 with 4 subsequent brain surgeries following it over the course of one year. It was thought to be a congenital aneurysm. Following this, my mom had a stroke in February, 2025 and has since been struggling with the aftermath. I feel like nobody knows what's around the corner so more research for these matters and specifically more research into women's risk factors and health issues would possibly save many families.

I will do my best to walk every day in order to achieve my personal goal but I do have long Covid & a concussion from a car accident last September. Any funds you would like to contribute would be so wonderful. I hope you're never faced with the challenges that arise from these health issues. Thnx so much for reading! If you are also walking, join my team! We're stronger together ❤️

Julie McCann

My Activity Tracking

My target 90 kms