Kate Goertzen / Facebook
Meet Kate Goertzen.
She's been living in Abbotsford for the past couple of years, but when she graduated she moved to Fort Nelson and fell in love with the North. Specifically, Kate volunteered at a dog kennel in hopes of learning all about dogsledding and the lifestyle.
In 2012, Kate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. With that in mind, she isn't letting her disease hold her back. In fact, she's doing just the opposite.
Kate hopes to be the first person with multiple sclerosis to dogsled 300km across the Scandinavian Arctic next April. She's entered an online competition with Fjällräven Polar to do just that, and the top person from North American gets to go.
"For a very long time I’ve wanted to live in the North and dogsled. When I saw this opportunity i jumped on it right away. I texted my dad and asked if he would help with my application," explains Kate.
"To win and complete this as possibly the first person with multiple sclerosis would be a huge win. Not only for myself but to show to others that this disease won’t hold me back from pursing my dreams and it shouldn’t hold them back either. From being diagnosed in nursing school and having people tell me I might have to take longer to do my degree I was adamant to prove them wrong."
Kate tries to live each day to the fullest, and she feels that joining this adventure would be a dream come true.
"That’s a win for me."
Find out more information about Kate's campaign here.
