An amazing fundraising drive has sprinted past the finish line in more ways that one, partially due to the power of friendship.
Kristin’s Camino—a 10-day, 140-kilometre pilgrimage across Spain—has raised an incredible $123,430, easily surpassing its original $101,000 goal to purchase a new tissue processor for the Regional Laboratory at Belleville General Hospital.
The hero and central figure of this journey was Kristin Crowe, a remarkable local community and business-leader and cancer survivor.
Not to be overlooked in this particular story though are her close friends and fellow walkers Doug Peterson and Judi Rufo, who accompanied Kristin on the daily 10–15 kilometre trek while sharing the emotional highs and lows of the journey.
Kristin has never shied away from using her own 14-year battle with cancer to raise awareness and money to help others, but the journey has been very difficult.
To help out, two like-minded souls accompanied her to Spain to complete a marathon that would have otherwise been impossible.
Rufo herself said it best when she said “It was about friendship—how powerful it is to walk beside people when they are vulnerable, when they are strong, and when they need you most.”
That new tissue processor will save lives, but we must never forget that the support of two friends helped a community champion get across the finish line to make it a reality.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
