‘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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.