London, Ont. transplant survivor completes Lake Ontario swim
A London, Ont. swimmer has crossed Lake Ontario to raise awareness for an important cause, wait times for organ transplants.
Jillian Best arrived in Toronto shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday after starting her swim Tuesday night in the Niagara Region.
The 52-kilometre journey had been expected to take about 18 hours to complete.
She was greeted by a crowd of supporters at Marilyn Bell Park -- Bell being the first person to swim across Lake Ontario.
Best was in tears as she responded to questions after her swim.
"I don't know if it's sunk in yet...that was as hard as it was worth it," she said. "I couldn't have done that alone, I had the best crew with me and they were so great. I don't know what else to say. I'm overwhelmed. "
Her motivation? In 2004, her mother needed a liver transplant. Nine years later, Best needed a transplant of her own.
The transplant recipient is the founder of the Move For Life Foundation, dedicated to reducing the waitlist for organ transplants.
Best had been training for over a year in preparation for her big swim, and says she never considered stopping.
"It was really hard, I thought it would hurt a lot more than it did physically...I never gave myself the option to quit. I told myself I wasn't going to stop for any reason of my own, but everybody helping me along the way was really helpful."
A GoFundMe campaign set up to support her mission had raised over $77,000 as of Wednesday evening.
All funds raised will be used to purchase new equipment for the London Health Sciences Centre.
You can see her route across the lake here.
- With files from CTV News Toronto
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Auston Matthews returns for Game 7, but Leafs minus injured goaltender Joseph Woll
Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews returned to the lineup for Game 7 against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.