Kate Geortzen is on a mission to live life to the fullest — and her next adventure could be a 300-kilometre dog sled trek through the Arctic.
Goertzen, who grew up here and completed a nursing degree in Prince George, is competing for the chance to race in the Fjallraven Polar.
The Fjallraven Polar is an international polar expedition that sees ordinary people, with guidance from experts, compete in a six-day dogsled trek across northern Scandinavia.
Ever since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2012, Goertzen has been determined not to let her diagnosis hold her back.
“I assume that not many people with MS would attempt something like this. It’s a gruelling six days and I think it would be a huge challenge and a huge victory for me if I could (A) win and (B) complete it,” says Geortzen, who now works as an emergency room nurse in the Fraser Valley.
“Especially working as a nurse where I see a lot of people who are disabled or not able to live their full life because of their disease; it has been a huge motivator for me to shatter the glass on MS and keep living the life I want to live.”
But why dog sledding of all things?
Well, after she graduated from nursing school, Geortzen was living and working in Fort Nelson where she volunteered at a dog sledding kennel.
It was her job to socialize the puppies.
“Really, it was just playing with puppies for months,” says Geortzen, adding that although she wanted to learn she never actually got the chance to get on a dog sled and try it out.
“So when this came up I thought it was perfect. I maybe can have my dream come true and actually learn how to dog sled.”
There are two ways Geortzen can be chosen to compete in the trek.
Kate Goertzen with the sled dog puppies she helped socialize in Fort Neslon. (via Kate Goertzen)She currently ranks fifth in North America with 771 votes.
“I think it would overall just be a huge personal victory to prove to myself that MS won’t hold me back in the things that I really truly desire to do.”
Goertzen is also a part of a clinical trial, where she receives an IV infusion every six months to help alleviate her symptoms, but she says that MS still affects every moment of every day.
“I think a key piece of this — whether I win or not — is just getting MS awareness out there. It is an awful disease but there is a lot of progress being made with medications for people who live with MS.”
Although she doesn't know for sure, if Goertzen wins she thinks she may be the first person with MS to take on the trek.
She says the biggest hurdle she’ll face, if she is selected, is mental and physical exhaustion.
“(MS) is a daily battle but if you are willing to take it on and you are willing to have a positive outlook, it makes a world of difference. It’s a one-day-at-a-time type of disease; some days are good and some days are hard, but there is always going to be a new day,” says Goertzen.
The Fjallraven Polar takes place in April 2019 and the voting period ends on Dec. 13. Everyone is eligible to vote for competition and you can cast your vote here.
