Gord Downie knows he's fighting for his life.
With a voice immediately recognizable to millions of Canadians, the Tragically Hip frontman has been battling an aggressive and terminal form of brain cancer since last December.
He's undergone two brain surgeries, rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, and numerous MRIs.
But that cancer a glioblastoma has also inspired Downie, 52, to fight to make his mark on Canada.
Though Downie admits his memory isn't what it once was he's taken to writing names and other details down on his hand he's embarked on a new challenge with Secret Path, a solo album, graphic novel and animated film
inspired by a 12-year-old Ojibwa boy named Chanie (Charlie) Wenjack, who died from hunger and exposure after running away from a residential school.
The album and graphic novel will both be released next Tuesday, and the animated film will be broadcast on CBC on Oct. 23.
He's also founded the
Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund a project that he hopes will raise $100 million to bridge the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
It's a legacy project of sorts and something that Downie says likely wouldn't be possible without his diagnosis.
In his first interview since his diagnosis, Downie sat down with CBC's chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge to discuss his cancer, his recent cross-country tour and why he's focusing on Indigenous issues.
