On the highway heading to Brooks, Trevor Redmond, also known as the Fellow in Yellow, takes a selfie during his third cross-country journey to inspire Canadians and promote health, recovery and the power of movement. He hopes to raise funding for the Dollar a Day foundation. Redmond expects to arrive in Brooks on Sunday.--PHOTO COURTESY TREVOR REDMOND
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Dressing is all yellow and on a mission to inspire and reach as many Canadians as possible, Trevor Redmond, known as the ‘Fellow in Yellow’, visited Medicine Hat this week and will be in Brooks on Sunday as he continues his solo journey across Canada on foot to promote health and recovery, and to inspire others through the ‘power of movement.’
At the age of 15 in 1986, Redmond nearly lost his leg after he was struck by a car and underwent 12 surgeries within a year following the accident. His experience of overcoming both the physical and emotional trauma, along with a very motivational doctor, has inspired the now 54-year-old to promote movement as a way of healing, and to inspire others.
While receiving treatment at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax, Redmond recalls being inspired in a very shocking way from this doctor.
“The quote is, we heal as we move,” recalls Redmond. “It came out of his month like this ‘get up off your ass, stop feeling sorry for yourself, we didn’t put that leg back together for you to be whining up and down the hallway that you want to go home. So get in there, get on those crutches and get your ass up.”
Those words would stick with Redmond for the rest of his life. Unbeknownst to him at the time, his orthopedic doctor went through some of the same experiences growing up.
“He hung me up on my feet and showed me that it was possible, and reinforced that.”
Since then, Redmond has walked and cycled more than 35,000 kilometres across Canada throughout three journeys to inspire people through a perseverance and friendly demeanour, and to promote preventative health through exercise and self-care.
Last year, on March 26, Redmond left Halifax on his third journey across the Great North, and is currently running across the country and back. So far the Fellow in Yellow has trekked more than 8,700 kilometres on foot pushing a cart full of survival supplies like a tent and sweat proof clothing, promoting his motto, “The more we move, the more we move others.”
Alone, Redmond describes his experience of traveling across the country and sharing moments of joys with fellow Canadians as well as several challenges and hard weather conditions.
“Im trying to inspire people to exercise, and that’s their minds, their bodies and their spirits,” said Redmond. “There are a lot of people becoming broken, feeling broken spiritually, mentally and physically, and we tend to separate.”
Redmond hopes when people see him along his journey they will pause and think about what they can do to live a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle.
“Emotional well-being, physical well-being, your mental well-being and having them come together.”
Redmond says he hopes his story will have an impact on others. Especially patients in hospitals and people recovering from injuries and illnesses.
This week, Redmond visited Medicine Hat and surrounding communities and is currently on his way to Brooks. He plans to arrive on Sunday. After that Redmond will head to Calgary before continuing his trip to the West Coast.
And similar to the fictional movie character Forest Gump, after visiting communities on Vancouver Island, Redmond plans to turn around and run back across the country.
“I call it a run for courage and to encourage. Part of that is encouraging people to love, and to encourage people to appreciate, because you can’t have love without appreciation.”
As Redmond makes his way through communities across the country, he encourages individuals to join him for a portion of his journey.
He is also calling on Canadians to contribute to his cause through the “Dollar a Day” foundation, an initiative he supports that helps fund mental health and addiction services in communities across Canada.
On his website, people can sponsor a kilometre of his journey in memory of loved ones or to support a cause close to their hearts.
His journey can be followed over several social media platforms by search Fellow in Yellow. More information can be found by visiting thereandbackcanada.ca, where Redmond’s journey is updated in real time.
