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| Classmates Meg Hasek-Watt and Jessie Sheppard. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
When one more stroke seems like too much, or one more step seems like one too many, Jessie Sheppard will think about her Dal classmate Meg Hasek-Watt and her daily battle with arthritis.
âI chose Meg as my inspiration,â says Ms. Sheppard, 26, from Pinawa, Manitoba. âSheâs young and she has arthritisâI think people know that arthritis affects people who are elderly, but it strikes children and youth as well.â
âI feel very odd about it all,â responds Ms. Hasek-Watt, with a laugh. âI feel like I should wear a cape and proclaim, âIâm an arthritis hero!â Iâm behind her 200 per cent. Sheâs doing some crazy things I would love to do.â
This summer, Ms. Sheppard will embark on a two-stage arthritis-awareness adventure: first, a swim across the Northumberland Strait from New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island in the shadow of Confederation Bridge in July; then, a hike to the peak of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, in August.
âI would rather do it in secret,â she confesses. âBut then I thought I may as well channel it to a good cause.â
Sheâs been training hard all winter: running twice a week and swimming lengths of the pool two or three times a week. She also bikes from Dartmouth to ±«Óătv in good weather, is a scuba instructor and loves to play tackle football.
She signed up for the Arthritis Societyâs Joints in Motionâs Kilimanjaro hike last September, âbut then the health promoter in me comes out and says I should promote an activity that people with arthritis can do, like swimming.â Thatâs when she decided to add the 13-kilometre swim across the strait.
As well as training and going to graduate school (âOh that,â she laughs), Ms. Sheppard is also raising money for Joints in Motion. Sheâs halfway toward her goal of $9,000.
âThere are so few people who understand arthritis in young people,â says Ms. Hasek-Watt, who was diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis 10 years ago, when she was 17. âIt makes sense for me to want to talk about it because I have it.
âBut for Jessie!â Ms. Hasek-Watt shakes her head in amazement. âItâs wonderful to have a champion out there like Jessie.â
The two women share a lot in common: both are taking their masterâs degrees in health promotion at ±«Óătv and are planning summer weddings. But incredibly, they hadnât met in person until last weekâMs. Hasek-Watt has been doing her degree long distance after a friendâs death last year called her home to Vancouver. They struck up a friendship after Ms. Sheppard sent e-mails to her classmates letting them know what she was up to. Ms. Hasek-Watt e-mailed back to thank her and theyâve been tight Facebook friends ever since.
âThank you,â said Ms. Hasek-Watt, giving her friend a hug. âThank you for everything.â Â
To sponsor Jessie Sheppardâs efforts regarding arthritis, you can donate via her .