WURST TRY A BAVARIAN LUNCH AT THIS NEW EATERY {page 19}
LADY GAGA BACK WITH HER OLD BOYFRIEND
GREENER
LIVING presented by
{page 15}
CALGARY
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 www.metronews.ca News worth sharing. See pullout in today’s paper
Wounded troop set to aim high
Postal. Strike.
Calgary’s Mark Fuchko lost his legs below the knee after driving over an explosive device Money raised from his Mount Kilimanjaro climb will go toward orthopedic surgery JEREMY NOLAIS/METRO
JEREMY NOLAIS
@METRONEWS.CA
Canada Post workers in Calgary could be forced back on the job. TODD VAUGHAN/FOR METRO
Back-to-work legislation tabled Calgary CUPW members weren’t pleased to hear about backto-work legislation proposed by the federal government. See story, page 6.
Reaching Africa’s highest peak is difficult enough. Doing so without use of your own legs is a challenge few would dare attempt. But 26-year-old Calgary soldier Mark Fuchko is used to taking adversity head on. “He’s pretty determined, slightly stubborn,” chuckled his father, Jack Fuchko. “He’s climbed lots of mountains. This is just another one.” Jack’s comments refer to years of difficult rehabilitation Mark has been forced to endure after suffering critical injuries on duty in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. He lost both legs in March 2008 but began walking again before the year was out. Fuchko’s focus now is on aiding others in similar situations. He and other participants on the Kilimanjaro climb hope to raise
$575,000 to purchase a computerized navigation system for the Orthopedic Surgery Centre at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital. Fuchko said he initially believed losing his legs was a “death sentence.” “There were some really hard days,” he said. “You come from this high level of activity ... and then you are in a wheelchair and just going to the bathroom is a challenge.” Fuchko credits much of his recovery to “overwhelming” support from family and fellow soldiers. On the climb, he will be joined by three fellow Canadian Forces members. The group plans to set off Aug. 8 and climb six hours a day in order to summit Kilimanjaro five days later. “It’s going to be a challenge, for sure,” Fuchko said. “I think I have got the tools and the support network to succeed.”
Mark Fuchko
Long climb ahead Summit. Climbers cover about 5,802 metres before reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Donations. For more information on the Kilimanjaro climb or to donate, visit kilimanjaro.royalalex.org.