This man with Parkinson's disease walked over 350 kilometres in the Alps

Yves Auberson
© France 2
Yves Auberson
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Meet Yves Auberson, a Swiss man who has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for fifteen years and who set himself an incredible challenge.

This is an achievement that commands respect and admiration. A few days ago, a report on Yves Auberson was broadcast. Never heard of him? After reading this article, you will be amazed by the strength of this man. And with good reason: suffering from Parkinson's disease, which makes his body shake uncontrollably, he walked more than 600 miles in the Swiss Alps in less than three months. Needless to say, this is quite the incredible feat.

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‘This guy is amazing’

You can see part of this report in the video above. This excerpt moved and touched the web, and many messages from internet users who were not unaffected by Yves Auberson's courage can be seen. ‘It was one of the most moving reports I've seen in my life,’ writes one internet user, while another says: ‘This guy is amazing. To all those who complain all the time: watch this video and appreciate life.’

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Further examples of comments:

So much respect for this gentleman. His body trembles but his heart remains big and strong... An example for us all. Please continue.
I have no words, what a great man. Shouldn’t he get a medal?
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Mr. Yves Auberson is admirable and so inspiring. I sincerely hope that he will be able to fulfil himself as he hopes in this second life! What a life force!

A successful challenge

It was to celebrate his 50th birthday that this Swiss man decided to take up the challenge of walking 600 miles in the Alps in less than 100 days, with 40 passes to cross and almost 200,000 feet of positive altitude difference. His adventures can be seen in the report, and although Yves Auberson falls, he always gets back up again. The former professional golfer and athletic coach explained:

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The illness goes away when I walk. I don't know how to explain it but my whole body starts working and I forget all my problems. Even my body feels like it forgets that it's sick.

One day in the future he hopes to work taking care of patients with Parkinson’s.

Yves completed his challenge successfully, covering 697 miles in 85 days. Hats off to you, sir.

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