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
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.