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
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.