‘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.