When Hope Breaks Through

When Hope Breaks Through, the inspirational tale of Mike Shoreman, a crippled paddleboarder attempting to become the first person with a disability to span all five Great Lakes, is directed by award-winning filmmaker Matthew Wagner. Mike was identified as having a neurological disorder that caused him to become immobile, experience vertigo, lose his hearing, and eventually experience a mental health collapse and depression. This documentary examines our personal relationships with mental health as well as the present situation of the mental health problem in Canada. With his committed crossings crew, Mike paddled almost 300 kilometers of open water throughout his epic five crossings, which are chronicled in the film. As they face and overcome challenges ranging from boats breaking down to medical issues to hallucinations and everything in between, these strangers come together and create an unbreakable friendship.