This retiree from Mayenne embarked on a walking tour of France to raise funds for two children with disabilities.
10,000 kilometers for a good cause. Marie-José Dethier, a 78-year-old retiree from Saint-Nazaire, took on the crazy challenge of touring France on foot to raise funds and help two children with disabilities living in Mayenne. Supported by the local association LM Petits Pas, the hiker publishes her adventures on social networks.
Since her departure from Strasbourg on June 14, Marie-Jo Dethier has called on generous volunteers to accommodate her after her days of walking, with one objective: to collect 1 euro per kilometer traveled, over a total expected distance of 10,000 kilometers.
“I don't have a prize pool, no, I don't have a sponsor, nothing is planned in advance (…) I do this entirely voluntarily and ALL the money I collect is paid ENTIRELY to the “LM Petits Pas association for which I have been walking since 2015”, she wrote in a Facebook publication.
A march for Marius and Luca
This walking adventure should help finance the care of Marius and Luca, two physically disabled children living in Mayenne – the first suffered a cardiac arrest at 3 years old, the second a car accident at 5 years old. The LM Petits pas association helps children affected by cerebral palsy (CP).
On her Facebook page, Marie-Jo Dethier shares daily photos of hiking, but also of her one-night guests or her misadventures, from weather conditions that make walking difficult to her wasp stings.
The Nazairian, who underwent hip surgery in March 2024, is not her first adventure on foot: since 2015, she has regularly traveled the roads of France to raise funds donated to the Mayenne association. Marie-Jo Dethier even reached Compostela via its famous paths… seven times!
Lucie Valais Journalist BFMTV
France
