First Nation youth completes Cancer Awareness Run from Mexico to Calgary
AFN Press Release
AFN Congratulates Cole Choken on Cancer Awareness Run from Mexico to Calgary
OTTAWA, Oct. 3 /CNW Telbec/ - Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo and Manitoba AFN Regional Chief Bill Traverse congratulate Cole Choken on his strength and leadership shown through his cancer awareness and fundraising run from Mexico to Calgary.
"On behalf of the AFN executive and First Nation citizens in Canada, I congratulate Cole Choken on his journey in raising awareness and support for cancer research," said AFN National Chief Shawn Atleo. "We applaud the leadership, commitment and dedication shown by Cole and the entire Cole Choken Cancer Run team. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death among First Nation citizens and is rising at a faster rate in First Nation communities than others. Cole has demonstrated tremendous strength and his leadership will no doubt motivate many other youth and First Nation citizens to pursue healthy lifestyles and the need to raise further awareness of this disease."
The Cole Choken Run for Cancer began January 1, 2010 in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The team, consisting of Choken - a 25 year old member of Lake Manitoba First Nation, his mother Brenda and sister Robin, travelled north from Mexico, running approximately 42 kilometers (or one marathon) a day. Arriving at the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg yesterday, Choken announced he would continue his journey through to Calgary. The team has already covered a total of 6,900 kilometers to date.
"On behalf of the Assembly of First Nations and Manitoba Chiefs, I would like to congratulate Cole Choken on a successful run from Mexico to Winnipeg," said AFN Manitoba Regional Chief Bill Traverse. "Cole's determination has created awareness on cancer and healthcare. First Nations are faced with many challenges in accessing proper health care, particularly in remote and isolated communities. I want to thank this young man, who is a role model for First Nations for his role in pushing our issues to the forefront."
The AFN is working closely with the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer to develop an action plan on cancer control and also working cooperatively with the Canadian Cancer Action Network to ensure the patient's perspective is part of the policy-making process.
The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nation citizens in Canada.
For further information: please visit colechokenrun.com or contact: Jenna Young, Assembly of First Nations Communications Officer at 613-241-6789, ext 401, 613-314-8157 or jyoung@afn.ca; Alain Garon, AFN Bilingual Communications Officer, 613-241-6789, ext 382, 613 292-0857 or agaron@afn.ca
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Man completes Mexico to Winnipeg run
October 5, 2010 - The Canadian Press
Canada's First Nations leaders are calling Cole Choken a role model for aboriginal people to pursue healthy lifestyles. (Facebook) A young First Nations man from Winnipeg celebrated his triumphant return to his hometown after running from Mexico to raise money for cancer research.
Cole Choken, who began his 7,000-kilometre run on Jan. 1 in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, arrived in Winnipeg on Saturday. The 25-year-old who once weighed 340 pounds, caught the fitness bug in 2006 and has since lost 110 pounds.
"It started with just running down the block," Choken said. "I was a really big guy. I asked my friends in high school, 'Did you ever think I could do this?' And they said, 'No, you were the guy who loved eating all the time."'
When Choken was 20 he already weighed well over 300 pounds. His mother said she used to sleep in the living room to stop her son from ordering pizzas, but Choken had a cellphone and simply told the delivery drivers to come to his bedroom window.
Then he said he had a dream where he was laying on the side of the road and an old man told him to get up and run with him. Choken woke up, and even though it was 2 a.m., he stepped out the front door and tried to run to the end of the block.
He said he knew he needed to make a change.
"I've been to a lot of funerals of a lot of my uncles who've passed away from diabetes," he said.
Raised $9,000
Choken has since completed several fundraising runs for diabetes research, including one from Calgary to Winnipeg in 2007.
His latest run, which raised about $9,000, took him from Mexico, up the U.S. east coast and then west across Canada.
'Cole has demonstrated tremendous strength and his leadership will no doubt motivate many other youth and First Nation citizens to pursue healthy lifestyles and the need to raise further awareness of (cancer).' —Shawn Atleo, Assembly of First Nations
Choken's mother, Brenda Choken, accompanied him on the trip. At first she was driving the car that was hauling the camper that they slept in along the way. But she said it soon became too difficult to watch Cole run.
She said she got her daughter to drive, while she ran alongside her son.
"As a mother, when you see your own son suffering, it's very hard to see him with all the pain," she explained. "So I started running along with him in New Jersey."
When they got to Winnipeg, they were joined by well-wishers that included Choken's cousin, actor Adam Beach.
Manitoba-born Beach starred in Clint Eastwood's wartime epic "Flags of Our Fathers," and appeared in "Windtalkers" with Nicolas Cage.
Choken also received congratulations from aboriginal leaders.
"Cole has demonstrated tremendous strength and his leadership will no doubt motivate many other youth and First Nation citizens to pursue healthy lifestyles and the need to raise further awareness of (cancer)," Shawn Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said Sunday in a news release.
'Just a regular guy'
Choken said it feels strange to be getting so much attention.
'I'm just a regular guy who works at Olive Garden.'' —Cole Choken"
It's weird because some people ask for my autograph and I'm just a regular guy who works at Olive Garden," he said.
Choken won't be staying in Winnipeg long — he's planning to start running again this week and hopes to make it to Calgary. He said he wants to finish there because it's where the 2007 run started, which he considers his "first big run."
Even then, he might just keep going.
"It's getting colder too and I don't have heat in my trailer," he noted. "(But) if my mother was up for it, I'd keep going for sure."