Kingston resident to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness of brain injuries

Megan Wheatley suffered a brain injury from a car crash in 2013.

There are many ways people are raising awareness about brain injuries.

A Kingston woman, though, is taking the high road to spread the word.

This August, Megan Wheatley will be hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa to raise money for the Community Brain Injury Services at Providence Care.

Wheatley was 17 when she was involved in a crash where the vehicle she was in was t-boned by a truck outside of Kingston in 2013.

She wore a seat belt and escaped with no broken bones.

But she says the impact of the crash led to traumatic brain issues that affected her life.

Before the crash, Wheatley was a very active person and excelled in athletics.

She will be turning 30 in August and says she got the idea of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro after hearing about someone doing the climb.

Climbing a mountain that is 19,341 feet (or 5,895 metres) above sea level is no easy task.

But Wheatley is determined to make the journey and is training every day to make sure she in great physical condition for the hike.

Wheatley hopes to her trek will shed more light into brain injuries  

She says she didn't know there were treatments available for her injury until she moved to Kingston a few years ago.

Wheatly says she had no one to look to for guidance or support at the time.

For more information and to donate, head to her webpage at Canada Helps. 

Story by Ken Hashizume