Brain-injured runner to traverse Canada

ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland, April 1 (UPI) -- A brain-injured Canadian man began running a cross-country marathon Friday in Newfoundland to raise awareness of what people with brain injuries can do.

David McGuire, 38, set off from St. John's to cheers and a ceremonial contingent of Royal Canadian Mounted Police on a 7-month odyssey across the country to end in Victoria, in his home province of British Columbia, in October.

In 2005, the former bill collector for a major bank suddenly began bleeding in his head and doctors had to remove part of his skull to allow brain swelling to subside. McGuire awoke after a week in a coma unable to talk. He had no memory, didn't recognize his family and was told he would never walk again.

However, he underwent intensive speech and physiotherapy and is now functional with one very debilitating after-effect: His memory is impaired and unreliable.

Accordingly, his marathon is called "A Run to Remember."

In a telephone interview with UPI earlier this week, McGuire said he relies on family and friends to keep him on track and employ him in part-time jobs. His wife Mandy works three part-time jobs to supplement the monthly $625 federal disability payments he receives.

Asked if he was nervous about the cross-country run, the effect of his brain injury showed in his answer.

"I forget what I'm nervous about, then it goes away and then it comes back and I remember what I'm nervous about again," he said.

Although he wasn't a runner before his injury, he ran in the Chicago marathon 14 months after and has been training daily for weeks. He said he has had repeated problems with blisters on his feet earlier this week, but that he and support staff from Braintrust Canada have come up with improvements to his footwear.

In addition to seeking donations, Braintrust is encouraging runners along the route to come out and run with McGuire as he traverses the country. The group works with people with brain injuries and urges prevention, as it says most brain injuries are preventable.

There was a setback for Canadian groups dedicated to brain injury and research a week before the run began when the Conservative minority government was voted down before it could pass a budget that included a $100 million allotment to establish the Canada Brain Research Fund. The government said the fund would "support the very best Canadian neuroscience, foster collaborative research and accelerate the pace of discovery, in order to improve the health and quality of life of Canadians who suffer from brain disorders."

Regardless, McGuire is on the road running toward many western sunsets with his parents following in a motorhome.

His progress can be followed at www.runtoremember.com and can be seen on YouTube by searching his name.