Newmarket man, 99, trying to walk 100km to raise $100K for 2 hospitals
Posted May 22, 2020 9:30 am.
Last Updated May 22, 2020 9:41 am.
George Markow, 99, spends part of every day walking in the gardens behind the Newmarket retirement home where he lives. With the aid of his trusty walker, each step gets him a little closer to achieving his goal of walking 100 kilometres by his 100th birthday next spring.
While Markow says he loves his daily walks as a way to stay healthy, he has an additional motive — to raise $100,000 for Southlake and Sunnybrook hospitals.
“I like to help people, and it goes for a good cause” Markow tells 680 NEWS, saying he’s already close to halfway to his 100-kilometre goal, adding “I think I’ll make it if I stay healthy.”
Markow’s daughter, Sylvia Perkins, says her dad was born in Russia and was drafted into the military at age 19. He served in the Second World War, where she says he was captured and held in prison camps for parts of three years.
“He has been through some horrific, horrific times,” Perkins says, but stresses her father has always remained optimistic.
“He’s risen above it … he says whatever path he took, it was the right one.”
Markow says he has chosen to raise funds for Southlake because he and his late wife have had many appointments there over the years, and Sunnybrook, because he had life-saving brain surgery there a few years ago.
Click here to donate to Markow’s GoFundMe campaign.
