After undergoing a specialized brain surgery in February of 2015 that gave him his life back, Magog native Sebastien Jacques now says that he wants to help young people recognize the value of overcoming obstacles. Starting in April, Jacques plans to walk “a marathon a day” across Quebec and the continental United States in the name of proving that the bumps in life’s road shouldn’t be enough to slow a person down.
“I was told to learn to live without being able to walk for more than 15 minutes per day,” said Jacques, who is currently back in Magog preparing for his planned seven-month, 5000 kilometer trek. “Now here I am walking basically a marathon a day to share my message.”
The former competitive tennis star explained that he has been in Australia for the last year and has seen his body return to the level of fitness and ability he enjoyed before a tumour turned his life upside down. Inspired by his experience, Jacques said that he simply cannot look at life the same way after his surgery as he did before.
“You just have to enjoy it,” he said. “Get outside of your comfort zone and face obstacles head on.”
Read the full story in The Record on February 7.
