Burton, New Brunswick
Corporal (Ret’d) Kate MacEachern is a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran. While on a military training exercise in Edmonton in 2007, Corporal (Ret’d) MacEachern suffered a critical head and spinal cord injury. She was told her recovery would be slow and that she may not walk again.
In 2012, before retiring from the Canadian Armed Forces, Corporal (Ret’d) MacEachern embarked on a 562-kilometre walk from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, in New Brunswick, to Antigonish, Nova Scotia, during which she raised more than $20,000 for the Soldier On Foundation.
This foundation assists Canadian Armed Forces members with their physical rehabilitation. In 2013, as a recently-retired Canadian Armed Forces Veteran, Corporal (Ret’d) MacEachern embarked on her second long-distance walk from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, to Ottawa, Ontario. The 1,600-kilometre journey took her 45 days to complete. This time, Corporal (Ret’d) MacEachern was raising money and awareness for Military Minds, an organization that helps soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Corporal (Ret’d) MacEachern has done three long-distance walks, the last and longest one in 2015, where she walked from Nipawin, Saskatchewan, to Chilliwack, British Columbia. In total, she has raised in excess of 100,000 dollars for military charities specializing in physical rehabilitation and the psychological recovery journey of those surviving with post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition to raising money, Corporal (Ret’d) MacEachern was also hoping to inspire anyone else who has had to face adversity, whether they are an injured soldier or not.