Paddleboarder with Ramsay Hunt syndrome crosses Lake Huron for charity

On the morning of June 12, Mike Shoreman pushed his paddleboard into Lake Huron with nothing but the horizon in front of him. With a support boat by his side and thousands of supporters rooting for him online, Shoreman crossed the lake in 28 hours in defiance of Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which left him partially paralyzed four years ago.

Shoreman said the syndrome affected his mental well-being, and so he wants to raise awareness to make sure that people struggling with mental illness never have to feel alone. This summer he’s teamed up with Jack.org to paddleboard across all five Great Lakes in support of mental health resources for children in schools. Click here to donate to the cause.

In 2018, Shoreman owned a paddleboard shop and had enjoyed the sport for over a decade, so when he developed Ramsay Hunt Syndrome — a condition that causes pain, immobility, and facial paralysis — it was a tremendous blow.

“I had a mental health breakdown and lost the ability to walk, and hear and speak very quickly,” he said.

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is estimated to affect five in every 100,000 people, but the symptoms vary in severity. Former Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien suffered from the condition during his 10 years in office, and recently pop star Justin Bieber cancelled his shows after receiving the same diagnosis.

Shoreman told CityNews on Tuesday that his diagnosis was debilitating, culminating in a “mental health breakdown,” which landed him at a crisis centre.

“Months after the initial diagnosis I just could not cope, and I think the doctors didn’t prepare me for the mental health aspect of [my disability],” he said.

After receiving treatment and counselling, Shoreman started working with mental health organizations like Jack.org, educating Canadians about the link between mental illness and suicide.

“All the funds being raised with my paddling are going towards mental health and suicide prevention programs in schools in Ontario and across Canada … I’m doing it for those kids.”

Paddling long distance, however, is easier said than done. On Lake Huron Shoreman told CityNews that he experienced thick fog, hallucinations, and even a foot injury due to stagnant water, which cracked Shoreman’s feet inside his protective boots.

“It was wild because Huron is the world’s fourth-largest lake, and when you’re in the middle you can’t see the other side,” he said. “With sleep deprivation I would go off course and have to be put back on track by my safety boat.”

“At the four-hour mark the waves picked up and we had three-and-a-half-foot swells seeming to come from all directions,” he said. “I have vertigo plus vision and hearing impairments, so it was a nightmare for me.”

Despite torturous conditions, Shoreman stepped onto solid ground around 11 a.m. on Monday having raised around $50,000 for charity.

“They keep moving back the donation goalposts, and I hope to raise a lot more,” he said.

“In 1988 when my mentor Vicki Keith swam across the same distance, she raised $600,000 to build a swimming pool for children [with disabilities], and I’m in awe of what she accomplished.”

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Keith was born in Winnipeg and raced as a marathon swimmer before becoming a public speaker discussing issues surrounding children with disabilities. In her career, she raised more than one million dollars for charity, and was inducted into both the Terry Fox Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

Shoreman also pursued public speaking after recovering his voice through therapy. He said his first ever public speech was as valedictorian in college, but after his diagnosis he wanted to tell a different kind of story “about getting back on your paddle board after being knocked off.”

“I think I rehearsed the speech about 400 times out loud, and I ended up winning while racking up millions of views online,” said Shoreman. The first draft was written while he was checked into the crisis centre, and today, he will be the keynote speaker for a medical conference in November.

Shoreman has certainly not let Ramsay Hunt syndrome hold him back, and he wants to share some advice with other people with disabilities.

“Reach out to somebody who has gone through what you’re dealing with because you need someone who understands.”

“After my breakdown, I reached out to Tony Horton, founder of P90X fitness who was confined to a wheelchair because of Ramsay Hunt syndrome in 2017. He wrote me back the very next day and wanted to help in any way he could,” he said.

Right now, Shoreman is focused on recovery, but on the horizon, he sees crossing Lake Michigan as his next challenge.

“I’m doing Lake Superior in July and then the big finale will be Toronto in August,” he said. “We’re even shooting a documentary, so a camera crew is following me around though this.”