Soaring hearth
Having the passion to take life by the horns
What keeps him from getting discouraged? Life itself! Discover how this 40-year-old father of five was able to face death and, step by step, successfully become the first Canadian heart transplant recipient to reach the tip of Mount Blanc in Chamonix, France, and the first heart transplant recipient in the world to pass the 6,000 metre mark on Mount Sajama, Bolivia.
The story of his exploits and his will to live despite his illness makes us stop and think about our own sets of values that help us through the curve balls and limitations that life throws at us.
Mont Blanc and Mount Sajama were his dream—mountains to be conquered both physically and psychologically. For years, Sylvain Bédard has been facing challenges, never losing hope, and always putting his heart and soul into his dreams and passions.
His story is inspiring, showing us that if everyone’s strength is joined together, a powerful force is created, and nothing is impossible. Pride in living can take us to the heights of our dreams.
His story has received wide coverage in the media (Globe and Mail, La Presse, Journal de Montréal, Maclean’s, a documentary entitled “Soaring Heart” which aired on Radio-Canada’s Découverte series, Discovery Channel and the National Geographic Channel. and Cœurs et âmes (Heart and Soul), produced by France Beaudoin aired on Canal Vie
Sylvain discusses these topics with first-hand knowledge!!!
No obstacle can dampen your desire to live!
When you put your heart into it, anything is possible!
A guy with real guts!
“Christmas 1999: I received a great pair of running shoes. They were given to me because I had always dreamed of one day running with a healthy health. At the time, I had been waiting three months for a heart transplant and I knew just how far I would have to go to make my dream come true. In the summer of 2000, I received the greatest gift in the world: a healthy heart. I was determined to take the first steps (as a healthy 32-year-old man) with my new running shoes, which I still hadn’t worn. After that, they came with me wherever I went—whenever I trained, whenever I went running with my four children, whenever I wanted to push my limits so that I could live longer… While I was waiting for a heart transplant, my 8-year-old son asked me why I never put on my new running shoes. I told him: I will put them on when I have my new engine, and they will be my new high-performance tires. Now, I’m inviting you to join in and share my adventures, as we help you make the most of your life’s journey!”
Sylvain Bédard
Clients comments:
“What I really got from your conference is that nothing in life is easy, you have to work very hard to achieve your goals, and even though you had a heart transplant, you still succeeded.”
Maxime, 12 years old
“Working with Sylvain brought a huge element of humanity to our approach.”
Jean-Luc Blais, Director, Public Affairs, Merck Frosst Canada
Sylvain will fill your heart with a passion for living!
‘‘This is such a great story. It makes you stop and think about more than just the challenge of the altitude alone, the personal experience of rising to the top.’’
Nathalie Schneider, Editor-in-Chief, Geopleinair Magazine.
“Your presentation showed me that we can always make our wildest dreams come true…”
Julien, 11 years old
“I’m sure we can succeed. If you were able to overcome your fears, why shouldn’t the rest of us be able to as well!”
Laurie, 12 years old
Company’s who have used his services:
- Merck Frosst
- Hydro Québec
- Banque National
- Desjardins
- Gouvernement du Canada
- Gouvernement du Québec
- SSQ Assurance
- Commission Scolaire des Phares
- and a lot more…
