3 | durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, August 25, 2022 | www.deegandentureclinics.com Denture Services SAME DAY REPAIRS & RELINES COMPLETE & PARTIAL DENTURES IMPLANT SUPPORTED DENTURES FREE CONSULTATIONS & NO OBLIGATION DENTURES CRAFTED ON-SITE Quality dentures with Exceptional service 4 GENERATIONS www.deeganhearingclinic.com Rechargeable Hearing Aids, No More Batteries! Hearing Services HEARING TESTS & NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATIONS NEWEST IN HEARING AID TECHNOLOGY "MASK-FRIENDLY" HEARING AID SOLUTIONS (NOTHING BEHIND THE EAR AND RECHARGEABLE!) TINNITUS SOLUTIONS ON-SITE HEARING AID REPAIR & CLEANING Amy Deegan, HIS, Hons BA Sarah Deegan, DD Philip Deegan, DD Brian Deegan, DD 905.240.50551031 Simcoe St. N Oshawa Covid Safety Protocols in Place Hearing Services Hearing TesTs & no-obligaTion ConsulTaTions newesT in Hearing aid TeCHnology "Mask-Friendly" Hearing aid soluTions (noTHing beHind THe ear and reCHargeable!) TinniTus soluTions wax reMoval on-siTe Hearing aid repair & Cleaning A Whitby resident has become the first person with a disability to paddleboard across all five Great Lakes. Mike Shoreman arrived in Toronto on Aug. 20, completing a Lake Ontario crossing that started Aug. 19 in New York state and followed a 54 km route to Toronto. He crossed the other four Great Lakes earlier this summer. Shoreman, 39, is a former paddleboard coach who says he abruptly lost his business, his social life and his independence in 2018 after developing Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The neurological condition resulted in a loss of mobility and speech, and Shoreman was told he would never paddleboard again. "That caused me to have a mental health breakdown," he says. Treatment and support from several mental health organizations helped him find his way back to paddleboarding -- he had to re- learn how walk and getting back on his board was a slow process. Shoreman has since become a passionate advocate for mental health. He and his team launched Canada's Great Lakes Crossing to raise funds and awareness for youth mental health and "show young Canadians that they have a caring community on their side." The mission to cross all five Great Lakes on a paddle board was inspired by Vicki Keith, who swam across the Great Lakes in 1988. Shoreman's campaign aims to raise $250,000 for jack.org to provide mental health programs in high schools, colleges and universities. In an interview before his Lake Ontario crossing, Shoreman described the mental and physical toll of the journey so far. "Mentally, I'm really exhausted," he said. "I knew that physically this was going to be gruelling ... I didn't think that I would experience the mental health journey that I have. It's a very lonely experience." Shoreman says his goal to raise funds and awareness for youth mental health is helping to push him through -- he personally knows the critical importance of mental health services and wants to make sure they are available for others. "Everyone always asks, what do you think about when you go into the water? I think, this is going to be painful, this is going to be hard and I'm going to hate half of it," he says. "But I'm also thinking that nothing lasts forever, everything has a start and an end. And I know this will end." While news coverage from across Canada and the U.S. has referred to Shoreman has a being from Toronto, he does in fact live in Whitby and says he is touched by the level of support he has received from Durham Region. Visit jack.akaraisin.com/ui/canadasgreatlakecrossing to make a donation to Canada's Great Lakes Crossing. MIKE SHOREMAN COMPLETES GREAT LAKES CROSSINGS Mike Shoreman became recognized as International Paddleboarding Man of the Year in 2020 and 2021. David Weinstein photo JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com NEWS AIMS TO RAISE FUNDS, AWARENESS FOR YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH