Les trois mousquetons: A sum of $1,069,000 announced live from 4 continents

MONTREAL, April 15 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, at the Mount-Royal chalet, Messrs. Pierre Bruneau, Daniel Boucher and Benoît Gagnon, the three spokespersons for Les trois mousquetons, announced the proceeds raised by the project live from Everest Base Camp (Asia), Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa) and Mount Elbrous (Europe). Joining them were the 58 climber who took part in this grand adventure. Émilie Dagenais, Kassandra Dufour and Raphaël Hamel, our three valiant musketeers, presented a giant-sized cheque for the impressive sum of $1,069,000 raised in support of the Fondation Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau.

"What great news!" exclaimed Kassandra, 13, the musketeer for the Kilimanjaro expedition. Kassandra is currently in remission after a bout with lymphoblastic leukemia. "I'm so happy for all of the climbers who reached the summit for us," she said, a big smile on her face. "It's truly wonderful . . . Bravo!" agreed 7-year-old Raphaël, who served as musketeer for the Mount Elbrous expedition. Raphaël is currently receiving treatment for lymphoblastic leukemia. Also beaming with pride was our third musketeer, 11-year-old Émilie.

For Pierre Bruneau, the spokesperson for the Fondation Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau, this result is the culmination of a collective effort reflected in the slogan One for all and all for one. "It's extraordinary to see the dedication of our 61 climbers rewarded like this, but even more incredible is being able to give such an impressive sum to the Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau at CHU Sainte-Justine - live from four continents, no less! For this great achievement, congratulations to all of our climbers and to our partners in this project. I'd also like to extend a special thanks to our three musketeers, Émilie, Kassandra and Raphaël, for inspiring us with their courage," he said.

Almost 200 people made their way to Mount-Royal to take part in the closing ceremony, which was preceded by a symbolic march to the 4th summit, named the "D'Artagnan" summit. Setting out from the Beaver Lake Pavilion, friends and family of climbers and children receiving treatment at the Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau at CHU Sainte-Justine walked a distance of almost 2 km to reach the Mount-Royal chalet. Several public personalities were on hand to mark the occasion, among them Marie-Chantal Perron, Paul Doucet and André Robitaille, with the latter serving as MC.

Today's event is the project's crowning moment, the high point at which the three expeditions come together to rally for the cause. Two of the three expeditions reached their respective summits on April 15: The expeditions of Everest Base Camp and Kilimanjaro.

Pierre Bruneau and the team from Everest Base Camp succeeded in scaling to a height of 5,545 metres on the world's highest peak, in spite of difficulties brought on by altitude. "It was both a spiritual experience as well as an emotional one for all of our climbers," he said.

For their part, Daniel Boucher and the Kilimanjaro group successfully climbed the 5, 895 metres to the summit of the mythical African volcano, fighting fatigue with improvised musical jam sessions. "It was fantastic to be able to play guitar and sing with the climbers and porters. They even taught us a few cool tunes, which allowed us to bond with them," said the Quebec-born author-composer-performer.

Despite a strong willpower, Benoît Gagnon and the 10 climbers didn't have any other choice than to turn back a few meters from the summit because of nasty weather conditions. Live from the summit of Mount Elbrous, the television and radio host was a bit disappointed but was extremely proud to overcome these obstacles for children with cancer: "Despite horrible weather conditions, nothing compares to what the children and their family go through every day. "It was such a rewarding experience, and I've fully savoured this experience with Serge and the rest of the group. The sum raised is definitely a victory for the children at the Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau and their families, who display colossal courage every day."

The proceeds will allow the Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau at CHU Sainte-Justine to carry out research on pediatric cancer with the objective of giving the 2,000 Quebec children with cancer a better chance of recovery.

The Fondation Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau would like to thank the remarkable work by the three expedition leaders: François Langlois (Everest Base Camp), Maurice Beauséjour (Kilimanjaro) and Serge Dessureault (Mount Elbrous).

Les trois mousquetons

This ambitious project involved the simultaneous ascent of three mountains on three different continents, with the objective of reaching their respective summits on the same day. From April 3 to 22, 2010, therefore, three teams of climbers (61 in total) set out to reach Everest Base Camp (Asia) and the summits of Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa) and Mount Elbrous (Europe).

This adventure was inspired by Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the legendary heroes brought to life by Alexandre Dumas. Courageous and working as one, the famous "One for all and all for one!" served as a rallying cry with which our climbers were able to identify.

Follow the climbers

The public is invited to view photographs and videos of the three expeditions at www.lestroissommets.qc.ca. A short video and a few photographs of each group were posted on the website on a daily basis.

About the Fondation

Created in 1990, the Fondation Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau has a mission to give children with cancer the best possible chance of recovery by supporting research and financing the creation and ongoing development of the Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau at CHU Sainte-Justine. For further details, please visit www.charlesbruneau.qc.ca.

For further information: David Letky, press relations officer for Les trois mousquetons, Fondation Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau, [phone], extension 230, Cell.: [phone], [email protected]; www.lestroissommets.qc.ca