For our team, Tremblant’s 24h 2019 was a very emotional weekend.
Many of you know our story – the story of Jacob Tourigny. Last December, while attending the 24h, Jacob decided he wanted to form a team for the following year’s edition. A few weeks later, he and his 6th grade class toured Fondation Charles-Bruneau as part of a school outing. And then, shortly after that visit, in February 2019, Jacob was diagnosed with leukemia. It was a rare and aggressive strain, and it took Jacob from us in just eight days. With that chain of events in mind, we created the Jacob Strong team.
The infectious and exhilarating energy of the last few days was an extraordinarily balm for everyone who knew and loved our Jacob. He will be symbolically and closely connected to the event and the mountain he loved so much.
Now that the 24h is over, what have we taken away from this singular experience? EVERYTHING! We were touched by the wave of love and generosity from the general public that continues even to this day. We were moved by the energy and the friendliness of the participants, and we can’t say enough about the sensitivity of the organizers and individuals who made the event such a massive success!
The feeling of joy at having reached the highest peaks for and on behalf of Jacob is still with me, and probably will be always. The record amounts of money raised that will serve to help sick children ultimately give meaning to the tragic events we experienced and allow us to believe that Jacob’s death was not useless or in vain.
We thank each and every person who made this major event such a big success. Special thanks go to the many people who donated to our incredible fundraiser. Your generosity allowed us to write a page in history by shattering every record.
Thanks to our teammates Mariève, Eve, Léa, Alexandre, Maxime, Jehan, Sylvain, Patrice and Martin.
Finally, thanks to you, my beautiful boy Jacob, who at just 11 years old inspired so many with your goodness and wisdom. Your short time on this earth has left an everlasting mark.
When the magic of stardust doesn’t dissipate, when it stays with us, so too does the magic of human reciprocity.
Karine, Elliot and Eric
