Petawawa diabetic walks 100 km, raises over $18,000 for research
Ruby Pilatzke says she is sore and tired after completing the longest 24 hours of her life.
On Saturday afternoon, the 17-year-old from Petawawa finished a 100-kilometre, non-stop walk from the Antrim Truck Stop in Arnprior to the Civic Centre in Petawawa.
Pilatzke challenged herself with the trek to mark the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin and to raise money for diabetes research.
"Accomplished, proud of myself, and tired, but very proud," Pilatzke said after being asked how she felt following her 100-kilometre walk. "My legs are so sore and my feet are so blistered but they’ll heal. It was worth it."
Pilatzke lives with Type 1 diabetes and took on the walk in place of the annual JDRF Walk in Ottawa, which was cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Coming across her own finish line in Petawawa, Pilatzke could not hold back her tears seeing the reception waiting for her.
"My community is just so amazing," Pilatzke told CTV News Ottawa. "I did not expect hardly anyone to be out here and to see everyone and so many other members who have Type 1 in this community all out here just means so much to know that people support me always."
With the walk, Pilatzke’s goal was to raise $10,000 for diabetes research. At the end of the walk, it was announced over $18,000 had been raised, with donations yet to be counted expected to push the total over $20,000.
"Just to see my daughter reach her goal, she had a goal set of $10,000 but it was so much more than that," says Julie Pilatzke, Ruby’s mother. "It was about raising awareness and it was about recognizing that insulin is having its 100th anniversary from its first development."
"She said she was doing it all in one day, and I was like oh my goodness that’s insane," says Pilatzke’s former high school teacher Krista St. Louis, who walked roughly 60 kilometres of the journey with Pilatzke. "It just shows her dedication for finding a cure for diabetes and wanting to help others who have diabetes."
"It just means so much because it means I’m getting closer to finding a cure, and having a cure in my lifetime would be incredible," says Pilatzke, taking in the total amount of money she raised for research. "I want to do everything I can to be a part of that."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.