Timmins man with autism uses exercise to challenge himself and help others
For the past couple of years, Michael Thoerner of Timmins has been on a path to learn new ways of improving his health and general well-being.
He said he started off by doing Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) yoga.
"That then helped me get into doing spin classes and my first spin class I did it at Discover Fitness," Thoerner said.
He gives thanks to his coaches at Discover Fitness/Discover Performance for helping him lose about 140 pounds in two and a half years.
"Michael is a gem to train; always very receptive. He always works hard. I love seeing his stats at the end of a class. He’s always sharing his progress. He’s been very transparent when it comes to his weight loss journey," coach Lisa Tremblay said.
Thoerner is now on to new goals. He'll be participating in the Great Cycle Challenge and he's not letting a recent diagnosis of Autism Disorder and ADHD stand in his way.
"All of that has led to my anxiety, hypervigilance, things like that so it’s very hard for me to get out on my bike and just get out in general. So that’s why this is another good challenge for me to kind of push myself to get out," Thoerner said.
Throughout the month of August, he plans to rack up 100 kilometres on his bike and collect money for the Sick Kids Foundation.
"My mum died of cancer in 1998 so I thought a good way to actually honour her was something that would help the kids that are fighting cancer," he said.
Those who know him, said they're not surprised by Thoerner's new mission and know he'll accomplish it.
“What’s inspiring about Michael is he’s living proof of no matter happens, anything is possible," Tremblay said.
Thoerner is one of more than 10,000 riders in the national challenge who've already collectively raised more than a million dollars to fight kids' cancer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Canada's favourite sport to watch is hockey, survey shows
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have already delivered a fever level of fan excitement in Canada.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.