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Author Archives Kim Gjerstad

Kim a initié ce blog en février 2007 pour la Fondation. Lire sa biographie sur son propre blog (en anglais seulement).

Kim initiated this blog in February 2007. Read more on his blog’s bio page.

The Adults on the Saguenay Expedition

For the Foundation’s 20th expedition in over a decade of operation, the teenagers will be accompanied by outdoor and medical professionals. Amongst these, some are old timers and others are new.
From left to right, let’s see who they are:

Bertrand Dupuis, Childlife Specialist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. This is his 14th […]

11 August 2007 § Saguenay Expedition 2007 ‡ Comments (0)

One, Two, Three Seals in the St. Lawrence

Common seal. Photo found in Flickr.
In summertime, three types of seals are present in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park:

The grey seal is found in the Atlantic Ocean, from France to Canada’s coasts.
The common seal is very, well, common. You can find him anywhere in the northern hemisphere. This one can dive up to […]

11 August 2007 § Saguenay Expedition 2007 ‡ Comments (0)

The White Whale They Call Beluga

Belugas at Marineland in Niagara Falls. Photo found on Flickr.
For this summer’s expedition in Saguenay, we take a look at 6 of the 13 whales that are present in the region.
Take a look at this drawing to get an idea of the scale of whales and this chart on how to recognize them from whales-online.net
This […]

11 August 2007 § Saguenay Expedition 2007 ‡ Comments (0)

Harbour Porpoise, the Smallest in the St. Lawrence

Harbour porpoise. Photo found in Flickr.
For this summer’s expedition in Saguenay, we take a look at 6 of the 13 whales that are present in the region.
Take a look at this drawing to get an idea of the scale of whales and this chart on how to recognize them from whales-online.net
This whale is the smallest […]

11 August 2007 § Saguenay Expedition 2007 ‡ Comments (0)

The Biggest of Them All, the Blue Whale

Blue whale impression by an artist, found on her blog. See more of her whale drawings there.
For this summer’s expedition in Saguenay, we take a look at 6 of the 13 whales that are present in the region.
Take a look at this drawing to get an idea of the scale of whales and this chart […]

11 August 2007 § Saguenay Expedition 2007 ‡ Comments (0)

Minke Whale, Mind Your Own Business

Minke whale. Photo found in Flickr.
For this summer’s expedition in Saguenay, we take a look at 6 of the 13 whales that are present in the region.
Take a look at this drawing to get an idea of the scale of whales and this chart on how to recognize them from whales-online.net
This species is a baleen […]

11 August 2007 § Saguenay Expedition 2007 ‡ Comments (0)

The Acrobatic Humpback Whale

Tail of the Humpback. Photo found in Flickr.
For this summer’s expedition in Saguenay, we take a look at 6 of the 13 whales that are present in the region.
Take a look at this drawing to get an idea of the scale of whales and this chart on how to recognize them from whales-online.net
This species […]

10 August 2007 § Saguenay Expedition 2007 ‡ Comments (0)

The Fin Whale, the World’s Second Largest Animal

A fin whale in the St. Lawrence. Photo found on Flickr.
For this summer’s expedition in Saguenay, we take a look at 6 of the 13 whales that are present in the region.
Take a look at this drawing to get an idea of the scale of whales and this chart on how to recognize them […]

10 August 2007 § Saguenay Expedition 2007 ‡ Comments (0)

Participants’ Testimonials

Here is a short collection of letters and emails we received from some of our expedition participants.
This is what motivates us to continue what we began over a decade ago: Wilderness therapy! Nearly 20 expeditions have taken place so far with teenagers from several Canadian provinces.
Feel free to leave your own account or comment (or […]

31 July 2007 § Uncategorized ‡ Comments (0)

Saguenay Expedition 2007 Events Calendar

Click on the map, it’s interactive! The journey starts on the left, Cap Jaseux.
Here’s what the 10 days will look like:
August 13th: departure from Montreal. Two nights at Cap Jaseux.
August 14th: initiation and preparation for the expedition.
August 15th: first day of paddling in Rabaska canoes to l’Anse de Sable. Swimming and camping!
August 16th: paddling to […]

27 July 2007 § Saguenay Expedition 2007 ‡ Comments (0)

Ten Teenagers Are Bound For an Expedition in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park

The team will ascend the 450-metre Cap Trinité. Photo found on Flickr.
The On the Tip of the Toes Foundation is getting ready for a 10-day expedition starting on August 13. Teenagers in cancer remission will embark on large canoes known as Rabaskas to paddle down the Saguenay Fjord to the St. Lawrence River.
HĂ©lĂ©na, the leader […]

20 July 2007 § Saguenay Expedition 2007 ‡ Comments (0)

Five Years of Cancer Remission Is…

Émilie receives bone marrow from an anonymous donor in 2002 at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

This month, she returned to see Doctor Mitchell at the Montreal’s Children to celebrate five years since her bone marrow transplant.
Émilie Van Winden was diagnosed with leukemia in 1999. A seven year battle ensues: multiple chemos, in 2002 her cancer comes […]

26 June 2007 § Yukon 2007 § People ‡ Comments (0)

The 2007 Shave-O-Thon Raises 225 000$

A total of 110 people had their heads shaved to raise a total of $225,000 on the 27th of May in Saint-Bruno, Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. The event is the main source of funding for the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation.
Each year, the organization gives some thirty teenagers an opportunity to benefit from a wilderness […]

07 June 2007 § Shave-O-Thon ‡ Comments (0)

Second Cancer TV Spot from Brazil

After the first ad, here’s the second mute advertisement from the Mario Penna Fondation of Brazil. Original stuff.

06 June 2007 § Shave-O-Thon § Video ‡ Comments (0)

Life Without Hair in a Brazilian TV Ad

While looking for interesting cancer campaigns, I stumbled on this advertisement from Brazil. The Mario Penna Foundation made two silent ads. This is the first.

06 June 2007 § Shave-O-Thon § Video ‡ Comments (0)

The Spirit of the Shave-O-THon in a Spanish Ad

This is by far one of the most original cancer ad out there. Congrats to the AFANOC association for producing this.

06 June 2007 § Shave-O-Thon § Video ‡ Comments (0)

Photos of the Shaved For This Year’s Shave-O-Thon

This year was a record year for spectators, for people getting shaved and for money raised. Congratulations to all who enabled us to raise some 225 000 dollars! See our courageous souls before and after getting shaved on our Flickr photo site.

06 June 2007 § Shave-O-Thon ‡ Comments (0)

A Shave-O-Thon Looks Like This…

In this 10-minute video clip, you really get the feeling of this event. No matter if you don’t understand French, you’ll see that it’s pretty much a big party!
Inside, you get to see Annick Dufresne, the Foundation’s General Director, and RĂ©jean and Dominique CĂ´tĂ©, who take the credit of having started the Shave-O-Thon back in […]

21 May 2007 § Shave-O-Thon § Video ‡ Comments (0)

Meet the Man Who Started the Shave-O-Thon

Dominique and RĂ©jean, in front of their house in Saguenay, who’s daughter went on an expedition with the Foundation On The Tips of the Toes in 2000.
My father, Ole Gjerstad, directed “Larger than Life”, a documentary that followed one of the Foundation’s expeditions in 2000. In it, we meet a few of the teenagers, notably […]

10 May 2007 § People § Shave-O-Thon ‡ Comments (0)

Bertrand, Child-life Specialist and One of the Foundation’s Most Travelled Companions

Bertrand during the March 2007Yukon expedition
If you’ve been with Tip of Toes on an expedition, you surely know Bertrand Dupuis. He has participated in 13 of our last 17 expeditions, which makes him one of our most travelled companions. No wonder he talks about the Foundation like a family affair.
From the early beginnings of On […]

26 April 2007 § Uncategorized ‡ Comments (0)