‘You can fight anything’: Snowboarder and cancer survivor Maxence Parrot preps for Olympics
Bromont native and snowboarding champion Maxence Parrot is expected to arrive in Beijing at the end of the month to take part in the winter Olympics, and he expects a few stressful moments along the way because of COVID-19 protocols.
“I did a [COVID-19] test today to get back home,” he said, speaking from his hotel in Aspen, Colorado. “I’ll probably do a test when I get back home at the airport, and I have to do two more tests next week just before going to the Olympics, so it’s like four to five tests in a week, which is crazy of course, but it is what it is.”
The Chinese government has imposed strict COVID-19 testing upon arrival, with a threshold higher than what has been the norm to travel around the world, creating the fear that some athletes could end up being excluded through false-positive results.
Parrot is spending this weekend in Colorado, competing for gold at the X-Games, where athletes from around the world compete annually in extreme sports. He’s earned 13 gold and silver medals over the years. Parrot also won the silver medal at the last winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.
“My goal is to go for the gold, that’s for sure. But if I don’t have the gold, I won’t have any regrets,” said the 27-year-old.
Parrot’s cautious confidence comes from his battle with cancer. In 2019, the young athlete’s career could have stopped in its tracks following a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“You know, you have 12 treatments of chemo, you don’t know if the treatment’s gonna work, you don’t know how your body’s gonna react to the treatment, it’s a lot of unknowns,” he said.
And yet, Parrot not only recovered from cancer, but was able to go straight back to competition a few months later.
He decided to give back to the community by joining a foundation raising funds for Hodgkin’s lymphoma research called the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. He also self-produced a documentary available through his website, which viewers can watch in exchange for a donation.
“ First thing I told my children is, I can do it,” says Parrot’s mother in the documentary — a message the young athlete has since made his own.
“I want to inspire people you can fight anything in life,” he said.
His next fight will be on the slopes in Beijing, where he’ll be aiming for gold.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.