A Montreal Woman Is 'Living' On Top Of A Downtown Flagpole
She won't come down for four days.
A tent on top of a 40-foot pole.
Spring has sprung, and with it, Montrealers are starting to spend more time outdoors — some more than others. This week, five Canadians across the country are camping out 40 feet above the ground for 100 consecutive hours to raise money for diabetes research.
The stunt is meant to bring attention to the often-isolating balancing act people with diabetes regularly deal with. The money raised will be going to the non-profit JDRF, which funds diabetes research.
The hope is that 100 years after insulin was discovered here in Canada and successfully administered for the first time, Canada can find a cure for Type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Montrealer Leanne Souquet went up the flagpole on April 4 and won't be coming down until April 8. Souquet lives with T1D herself, as does her daughter Keira. Souquet has volunteered with JDRF in the past and hopes that a cure for T1D is on the horizon.
"As a proud Canadian, it is an honour to be a part of such an exciting campaign celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of insulin by Dr. Frederick Banting et al.," Souquet said in a press release. "JDRF Canada has been at the forefront of exciting new technologies in dealing with T1D management and I am hopeful that this campaign will bring us one step closer to a cure!"
These coordinated events are inspired by a similar endeavour 32 years ago. Following his daughter's diagnosis with the disease, Canadian Peter Oliver lived at the top of a flagpole until he raised $250,000 for T1D research.
You can check on Souquet's progress downtown at 1160, av. des Canadiens-de-Montréal.
