Student walks 992 kms for spinal cord research

Anne Vant Erve and friend Travis Iverson

Anne Vant Erve walks the last kilometre with her friend Travis Iverson.

You have to really believe in something to walk almost 1,000 kms to promote it! That’s how strongly Anne Vant Erve believes in raising awareness and money for spinal cord research and in helping to improve the quality of life for those who have suffered from spinal cord injuries.

Inspired by her friend Travis Iverson, who suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a diving accident two years ago, Vant Erve set out from Windsor on May 23 to walk 992 kms across Ontario. Her trek took her through London, Kitchener/Waterloo, Toronto, Lindsay, Port Hope, Kingston, and finally Ottawa, where she finished her journey on July 30 raising more than $34,000. Half of the money she raised is being donated to the Rick Hansen Man in Motion Foundation. The other half has been designated to Iverson and his family to help them improve their quality of life through the purchase of assisted devices.

Vant Erve, a fourth-year human kinetics student, stayed inspired along the way because of all the people she met whose lives have been affected by spinal cord injury. “They kept me motivated,” she says. She finished her journey with the best moment of the entire trip when Travis accompanied her on the last kilometre of her walk. “It was a great feeling to have him there and know that I had helped him and his family.”

Vant Erve’s journey is not over. She is still raising money through the Road to Recovery project. She also hopes to lead a Wheels in Motion event in the future.