Walking from Calgary to Banff: Man with cerebral palsy raising funds for Ukrainian hospitals
Posted Jul 7, 2025 7:02 pm.
A Ukrainian-Canadian man with cerebral palsy is on a personal journey as he walks from Calgary to Banff to raise funds for frontline hospitals in his home country.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Oleksandr Kyyanytsya made it his goal to generate funds to purchase life-saving medical equipment for hospitals in Ukraine.
“When the war began, I sat there thinking how I can help my country,” says Kyyanytsya.
Born with cerebral palsy, his more than 130 kilometre Alberta journey is not the first walk for a cause he’s embarked on. Kyyanytsya has already completed a walk from Montreal to Ottawa, and another from Toronto to Niagara Falls, raising over $32,000 in the process.
The Montreal resident says he’s happy with the support he’s received during his journey to Alberta.
“I’m very thankful to the community of Alberta,” he says. “You are very wonderful people here.”
Kyyanytsya hopes to raise $20,000 during his trek to Banff. In addition to the money for the hospitals, he says the walk is also meant to inspire resiliency in the face of adversity as Ukrainians continue to fight for their survival.
“We have to stop this war machine, and we really have to rebuild Ukraine.”
Kyyanytsya’s journey began on July 3 and he says he’s aiming to make it into Banff by July 28.
