It was a long journey for Rance Cardinal but he arrived safely in Humboldt to a crowd of cheering Humboldt and area residents, as well as many of his friends and family.
Rance’s walk took him from Sioux Lookout, Ont. all the way to Humboldt from April 11 to May 27 after he took a Humboldt Strong homemade poster to the April 7 Winnipeg Jets game.
Along with his sign, Rance came into town on the last day of his journey to cheering hundreds at the Humboldt campground caboose. Rance, energized and cheering through tears, embraced members of his family who drove out from Saddle Lake, Alta. to see him come up on his final destination.
With Rance in the lead, the crowd of hundreds walked with him the final 2.3 km to the Elgar Petersen Arena where he official finished his 1,250 km journey at the Humboldt Broncos ice surface.
Members of the Bronco community, the Humboldt community, and First Nation members welcomed Rance to Humboldt with words of thanks at the Elgar Petersen Arena.
Kelly Soderholm and the Welcome to Humboldt committee wanted to make sure that Rance received a warm and gracious welcome to Humboldt.
Welcoming Rance has meant that the whole community can now move forward with the healing, she says.
Mayor Rob Muench echoed that sentiment saying it is good to have the welcome event and now it is time to begin healing.
“This was closure for a lot of people….this is going to be a turning point and stepping stone to getting back on track.”
Now that Rance arrived in Humboldt, everyone enjoyed meeting him and speaking with him, said Muench.
“I knew he was a great kid just seeing him online and stuff. Now that he is here and the speech he did and how he’s been interacting with people, it’s been awesome.”
Ever humble, Rance’s sentiments throughout the journey and throughout his first day in Humboldt always have that “we” did it.
“Everyone that has been helping me, believing in me, we did it. The Humboldt Strong Walk page, we did it. I didn’t do it, we did it.”
Rance had set a goal for himself to walk into Humboldt the Rance Cardinal he was before losing his brother in 2013.
Sherrie Lee Cardinal was overjoyed to watch her son reach his goal and provide healing and support to the community of Humboldt. Grief is not an easy thing to get over, she says. Sherrie Lee watched Rance go through the grief of losing his brother.
“The heartbreak is so known to us. He knows what the heartbreak is. And him having the beautiful and amazing heart that he has, he’s overcome so much and I’m so proud of him.”
Rance does not want anyone to go through grief the way he did, he told the Elgar Petersen crowd, saying he lost himself in his grief, turning to drugs.
Rance says he found himself at the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border.
“I feel more strong mentally, emotionally, and physically. All together, I am Rance Cardinal again.”
Speaking to the crowd of hundreds in attendance at the Elgar Peterson Arena, his message was clear; life is precious, life is short and when the times are hard, know that you will bounce back, he says.
Rance stayed in Humboldt until May 30 with plans for a meet and greet at the Co-op barbecue and ball hockey game on May 28 and visits to all four Humboldt schools, as well as regional schools while he is in town.
From start to finish, Rance can describe his journey in one word: unreal.
See more photos from Rance’s welcome to Humboldt at humboldtjournal.ca/photos.
