Westboro bus crash survivor gives back to summer camp
Elizabeth Langan, who has Down syndrome, ran 2K on her birthday for Camp Misquah
A survivor of the Westboro bus crash didn't let COVID-19 get in the way of her goal to run 2 kilometres and raise money for her favourite summer camp on Tuesday.
Elizabeth Langan, who has Down syndrome, was on her way home from Bronson Centre on Jan. 11, 2019 when her Route 269 bus slammed into an overhang at Westboro station.
The bus crash killed three people and injured many more. Langan suffered serious whiplash in the crash but was otherwise physically unharmed.
On Tuesday, Langan's 27th birthday, she helped raise almost $700 for Camp Misquah in Gracefield, Que. It's a camp Langan has been going to for years, but it was cancelled this summer because of COVID-19.
"It feels like family to me and it's always been a home to me," she said.
Langan ran 2K alongside the camp's mascot, the Misquah Moose, at a track outside Chartwell Stonehaven Manor Retirement Residence in Kanata, where her grandmother lives.
Langan said she wanted her grandmother to be able to watch her run the five laps from her balcony.
"I really love her very much. She's been very great," Langan said, adding she could hear her grandmother cheering as she ran.
"It's very special. I'm glad that she's a part of it."
WATCH: Westboro bus crash survivor runs 2K to raise money for local summer camp
Langan's initial plan was to run during Ottawa Race Weekend, but the local event was cancelled because of the pandemic.
Langan's mother, Lyne Filion, said her daughter was still committed to running to raise funds for her camp.
"She was working so hard, training every day on the treadmill," said Filion. "She's done a great job of getting in shape [and] training for this race."
'It's heartwarming'
Mark Wigmore, executive director of Camp Misquah, said Langan's run has brought lots of joy during this difficult time.
"It's been ... a year of sadness with COVID closing the camp," he said.
Wigmore said the camp's closure has been devastating for attendees who look forward to going every year. Some of them, he said, have been going to the camp for decades.
But Langan's decision to run to benefit the program is touching, Wigmore said.
"It's heartwarming. It just reinforces what we're about."
With files from Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco
