TVC22 Podcasts TVC22

In the latest episode of Uncovered, join host Bruce de la Cruz, as he talks with Victoria Lavigne, who is running 100km from Ottawa to her hometown in Hawkesbury, to raise money and awareness for mental health. This fundraiser is in honour of her father, who after having his own battle with mental health, sadly took his own life when Victoria was just 10 years old.

Victoria, who is currently living in Ottawa, has been planning this fundraiser since March, and has trained for it immensely. Although unable to complete the 100km trek on foot as originally planned due to an ankle injury, she kept a positive attitude about her circumstances.

When talking about her father, she remembers her best friend, but as an adult she now sees the times when he wasn’t himself, as his battle with bi-polar greatly affected him. When he took his own life, Victoria went through a dark period, and questioned if she had a future at all. Only when she became a young adult did she start to realize she needed to change and become better.

This led her to start her non-profit organization called “Fight 4 the Light”, which aims to spread mental health awareness to a larger audience. In addition, the $3000 collected by the organization from the fundraiser is being distributed to various organizations and charities that combat mental health.

On the topic of resources available for men and their mental health, she says that there are not enough, and that men need just as much attention as women do in these matters.

When asked about her plans for the future, she says she will keep training to run again in the spring, and plans to make appearances at schools to talk about mental health.

On a final note, Victoria says that if her father were here, he say was proud of her, and that nothing that happened was her fault, and that he lover her.

In the latest episode of Uncovered, join Bruce de la Cruz as he speaks with Adam Hoerdt, a retired math teacher who is biking across the country to raise funds and spread awareness of a Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Myopathy (ARVC), a genetic disease of the heart that has affected his family immensely.

Adam Hoerdt’s story begins with the tragic passing of his wife Jackie in 2001, from a sudden cardiac arrest. At the time, the doctors had no idea what caused the arrest. It was only in 2018 when Adam’s oldest son Greg had his first cardiac arrest were they able to determine the cause of his and Jackie’s condition: ARVC.

ARVC is a genetic condition that breaks down the walls of the heart, causing irregular heartbeats that can prove fatal. Many athletes suffer from the disease, and the first symptoms are usually unprecedented cardiac arrests in young adults.

Adam was inspired to bike across Canada when Greg entered into a vegatitve state as a result of ARVC in September 2020.

The 3 main goals of the ride taken from their Gofund me page are as follows:

“Raising awareness of ARVC for all Canadian families and health care providers”

“Provide support for families diagnosed with ARVC at our soon-to-be-launched website (www.arvcfamilysupport.org)”

“Raise funds to help the research and clinical care efforts at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at the UHN in Toronto”

Right now, Adam is nearly done with the 3250 Km ride from Newfoundland to Ontario, having started in late August, with his final stop in Kitchener-Waterloo. He plans to continue the ride once spring has come around.

The thing that Adam wants people to take away from his story the most is that even though you can’t always predict what happens to us, whether it be negative or positive, you can still choose what to do next.

In the latest episode of TVC22's podcast, "Uncovered", join host Bruce de la Cruz, and 3rd generation beekeepers Russell and Andrea Gibbs, as they talk about the importance of bees, beekeeping during quarantine, and how by supporting your local beekeepers you are not only helping the local economy and environment, you are also making a healthier choice.

Russell and Andrea own Gibbs honey, a beekeeping business that began as a few colonies in 1925 that Russell’s grandfather owned, to now 450 colonies.

They ensure the quality of the honey every step of the way, as everything is done on the premises of their family farm.

Swarming is when a bee colony splits in half, and the new half leaves to create a new home elsewhere. Russell explains that swarming in of itself is a good thing, and has methods to keep the new hive on his property. But with people taking up beekeeping during the covid-19 pandemic without the proper knowledge, a swarm can take up residence in a residential home.

Calling a local beekeeper is the better way to go, as Russell says that they will be able to re-home the colony properly, and no harm will come to the bees.

Further, Andrea explains that rehoming a swarm outside of a populated area isn’t just about protecting humans, but also about protecting the bees themselves.

Bees will have a better chance of surviving the winter and mites that plague colonies if they are taken in right away rather than being left on their own.

Andrea says that this is another reason why beekeepers are needed, to keep the bees safe from outside dangers.

Having both quit their jobs to become full-time beekeepers, Russell and Andrea moved to Vankleek hill last year to a larger farm, which they hope to one day turn into an agro-tourism business as well.

When asked if he felt a connection to his ancestors whenever he was beekeeping, Russell explains that he does, and that it’s hard not to also feel connected to nature as you’re always working outside.

Growing up in Toronto, Andrea always made time for activities that would get her out of the house and working with animals, like horseback riding. She was first introduced to beekeeping when she began dating Russell, and has since become passionate about what she does.

The pair explain the benefits of local honey, comparing it to wine, having local flavours from local flowers. This in turn has benefits for people with pollen allergies, and also boosts your immunity.

Joey Desjardins, un habitant de la région, a vu son rêve de devenir olympien prendre une autre tournure en 2009, à la suite d'un accident qui lui a coûté la vie.

Mais pour Joey Desjardins, son rêve de devenir olympien a pris une autre tournure en 2009, à la suite d'un accident qui l'a laissé paralysé de la poitrine à la tête.

Cependant, grâce au soutien de sa femme Vanessa (un amour d'enfance - ils se fréquentent depuis le lycée), Joey n'est pas resté longtemps au sol et a su tirer le meilleur parti de la vie. Aujourd'hui, en regardant son jardin à Vankleek Hill, ce père de deux enfants est un homme très heureux - et sur le point d'embarquer pour un voyage à l'autre bout du monde.

Inspiré par sa rencontre avec la légende canadienne Rick Hansen, Joey s'est mis au cyclisme à main quelques années seulement après sa blessure, un sport qu'il a commencé, selon lui, juste pour le plaisir. Mais le destin a voulu que le cyclisme à main soit un sport pour lequel Joey s'est révélé doué, très doué.

Après être passé de force en force (en remportant la médaille de bronze aux Championnats du monde en 2019), Joey avait les yeux rivés sur les Jeux paralympiques de Paris en 2024 mais, grâce à une forme en constante amélioration (ainsi qu'à une année supplémentaire accordée par la pandémie), le natif de Prescott-Russell a grimpé dans le classement canadien et, aux côtés de ses compatriotes, s'envolera pour Tokyo le 23 août pour participer à l'une des compétitions les plus prestigieuses au monde.

Écoutez l'interview ci-dessous pour en savoir plus sur la vie de Joey, sur la force mentale nécessaire pour se recentrer de manière aussi radicale et sur la façon dont, bizarrement, le fait de se ménager pendant la pandémie l'a conduit au Japon.

Toute l'équipe de TVC22 souhaite à Joey Desjardins le meilleur pour sa participation à l'épreuve de cyclisme à main H3 qui aura lieu à Tokyo le 31 août.