Sébastien Jacques will join us this year for his first Tremblant’s 24h. Today, he shares with you a story of courage and dedication, his story. Come and meet up with him during the event!

Text by Sébastien Jacques

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Greetings, everyone!

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sébastien Jacques, I’m 29, and I was born in Magog. Basically, I went from being Canada’s top junior tennis player to being unable to walk more than 15 minutes per day – a situation that lasted four years.

Nobody could figure out what was wrong with me, and I was told I’d have to learn to live with it. Fortunately, I never gave up hope. I found some neurosurgeons in California who operated to remove a tumour from my brain in 2015.

In 2017, I decided to start walking to inspire and give hope to people.

I walked 40 kilometres per day for six months in Quebec and through the United States to show people that we can overcome obstacles and accomplish great things in life.

I walked 5,482 kilometres in all. I walked in snow, in the Rockies and in the desert.

Today I’m getting ready to walk in Tremblant’s 24h. I’m very excited to be able to do the walking portion of the event, which starts on Saturday, December 9. To be participating in such a great event that has a tangible, direct impact on the lives of many children is so important to me.

Not only am I giving back, it’s also a way to push myself while surrounded by friends and really amazing energy. I won’t be walking the 24h solo this year, but who knows? It might be a challenge I’ll take up one of these years.

To me, walking long distances is one of the best ways to get to know yourself. Honestly, I would recommend walking to anyone who wants to do well in life. Why? I believe that walking is a perfect metaphor for life: we must take one step at a time if we want to accomplish something big.

We might feel pain or discomfort, but if we keep moving, slowly but surely, we will eventually achieve something we thought was impossible!

When I was asked to be in Tremblant’s 24h, I said yes without hesitation. The organizers give off such incredible energy to make this event a huge success. And by huge success, I mean helping the greatest possible number of children. I’m looking forward to walking with you and sharing the 24h experience this coming weekend!

I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

Sébastien Jacques