In 2018, Mike Shoreman was thriving. He had a successful paddle boarding business in Toronto and he had just returned from a trip to California full of new ideas for excursions he could add to his business offerings.

Everything changed when Mike's chicken pox virus was reactivated and he ended up with Ramsay Hunt syndrome. This neurological condition left him with shattered nerves in the right side of his face, hearing impairment and severe reduction in his mobility. Mike needed help doing every day things like showering and he was forced to close his business and move back in with his Mom. The doctors told him he might never paddle board again. Mike fell into a deep depression. As he slowly recovered, Mike knew he wanted to raise awareness and critical funds for mental health programs.

In 2022, Mike became the first person with a disability to cross all five Great Lakes on a paddle board and he did it all for jack.org, an organization that funds mental health programs for youth. You'll hear Mike's full story including more about his recovery and his documentary, "When Hope Breaks Through", in this episode.

You can find out more about Mike on his website: https://mikeshoreman.com/

A huge thank you to Fanshawe College for being one of our sponsors this season! You can find out more about Fanshawe's microcredential courses here: FanshaweC.ca/microcredentials