Kelowna 
One man and his climb up Vancouver’s famous Grouse Grind showcase a story of grit and determination. Leo Sammerelli was a national boxing champion and he tackled this tough trail just over a week ago.
The Grouse Grind is a trail spread out over 2.9 kilometres, with an elevation gain of 853 metres and over 2,830 total stairs. It takes the average hiker up to an hour and a half by foot to complete the hike but it took Sammerelli nearly six hours to complete the hike.
Leo Sammarelli was the victim of a shooting in North Vancouver that resulted in him being a paraplegic. He is still in shock as to how this happened and says it was an unfortunate case of misidentification.
Going from a world-class, national champion boxer at the top of his game to a wheelchair-bound paraplegic could not have been easy and Leo has spent years rehabilitating since the incident.
He is currently training others in wheelchairs on how to stay active and healthy, campaigning for his sport, adaptive boxing, to be included in the Olympics, all while inspiring countless others. Sammarelli said, “after something life-changing like a spinal cord injury or whatever you face in life, it is possible to overcome that and test those boundaries and challenges that you have every day.”
As for his awe-inspiring climb, Sammarelli completed it with the help of his brother and a friend holding his legs in a wheel-barrow like position. His goal for the climb was to raise money for Vancouver’s Adaptive Boxing program.
