Trevor Redmond, known as The Fellow in Yellow, has resumed his cross-country run to raise money for mental health programs after a medical scare in northern Ontario. The fundraiser, now in his early 50s, was forced to pause his journey for three weeks after tearing a retina. Redmond left Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday, eager to get back on the road and continue his trek east toward Halifax.
Redmond suffered the eye injury about a month ago near Montreal River, Ontario. "I got as far as Montreal River about a month ago and I ended up seeing blood within my vision. I tore a retina and had to be taken by ambulance from Montreal River to Sault Area Hospital, so I was here for the better part of three weeks trying to get that resolved," Redmond told SooToday. He said the incident caused him to lose 70 per cent of his vision. "It was scary," he said.
After treatment from an eye specialist at Sault Area Hospital, Redmond received clearance to continue. "I went to the hospital in the Sault and I got another 'good to go' from the eye specialist," he said. He had been staying at a local motel with help from supporters before a friend gave him a lift back to where he left off. He planned to resume his run from near Montreal River on Oct. 31.
This journey is raising funds for the A Dollar A Day Foundation, which supports grassroots mental health programs across Canada. Redmond has raised approximately $12,000 for the foundation so far. He pushes a cart loaded with his belongings as he runs, wearing bright yellow attire. He also walks with a limp from a serious injury sustained when he was struck by a vehicle at age 15.
Redmond said his run is about emphasizing the importance of physical and mental fitness. "If you injure a leg, you exercise that leg. If you have an injury of the mind, you exercise that mind back to health. That's what they're trying to do at A Dollar A Day Foundation," he said. "What this really is about is overcoming our disabilities in mind, body and spirit."
This is not Redmond's first cross-Canada fundraiser. He walked across the country throughout 2006 and 2007, and completed a bike ride across Canada in 2009. Those earlier journeys raised approximately $32,000 for cancer research at Toronto's Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Redmond said he is not ruling out another cross-Canada trek after this one. Along his route, Redmond stays with supporters who follow his journey on social media, checks into motels, or pitches a tent near the road to rest. He is travelling from west to east.