‘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
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.