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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.