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MONTREAL, Feb. 8, 2024 /CNW/ - The Winter Triathlon in support of the Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation returns to Montreal's Maisonneuve Park on February 16. Organized by the Cercle de Sainte-Justine, a volunteer committee reporting to the Foundation's Board of Directors, this major sporting event brings the business community together every year to actively support the Sainte-Justine UHC. The goal of this 18th edition is to raise $600,000 for the Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation, enabling the hospital's teams to seize current and future development opportunities in pediatric health.

The Quebec business community's Nordic challenge par excellence.

Around a hundred four-person teams will enthusiastically take part in the participative and competitive aspects of this relay race combining skating, cross-country skiing and running. In the months leading up to the winter classic, each team has appealed to the generosity of their friends and family to raise as much money as possible for the children of Sainte-Justine and their families. Over the past 18 years, the Winter Triathlon has raised close to $10 million.

At the age of 10, Raphaël, the ambassador of this edition of the Winter Triathlon, has already faced countless health challenges and medical interventions, from being force-fed as a baby, to a delicate operation on his cervical vertebrae, to a diagnosis of a bone disease with as yet unknown causes. When he was born, there was no sign of the stormy road ahead. After a battery of tests, doctors discovered that Raphaël suffered from spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a genetic disease affecting the growth of the ends of his bones. Despite their best efforts, the experts at Sainte-Justine still haven't been able to pinpoint the precise form the boy suffers from, or the causes of his condition.

But with each new hurdle that stands in his and his family's way, the Sainte-Justine care teams, supported by the generosity of the business community and the general public, are there to give them the courage to keep moving forward.  "I shared Raphaël's X-rays with various bone disease specialists around the world. I also put Raphaël's mutation on a platform used by geneticists around the world to try and find a similar case, and I couldn't find anyone. His case is very unique," says Dr. Philippe Campeau, geneticist at CHU Sainte-Justine.

Grateful to the professionals at Sainte-Justine, Raphaël and his family will act as ambassadors for the Winter Triathlon, an event that evokes, in a way, his journey: a challenge of perseverance, versatility, endurance and important teamwork. "We've benefited from so many services at Sainte-Justine that it's only natural for us to give back," adds Raphaël's mother, Laetitia.

In cases like Raphaël's, where answers are slow in coming, public support is absolutely essential if research is to continue and therapeutic approaches multiply, thanks in particular to the unprecedented possibilities of precision healthcare. In fact, this is one of the main thrusts of the major Voir Grand campaign, which aims to raise $500 million by 2028 to transform the life course of every child with the help of cutting-edge technologies such as genomics. The Winter Triathlon's financial goal is part of this major fundraising campaign.

To find out more about the event and how you can support the Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation, please visit triathlon.fondationstejustine.org.

SOURCE Winter Triathlon in support of the Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation