A retired Canadian medic who is taking part in the "Soldier On Afghanistan Relay" says that ill and injured members of the Armed Forces can still go on to have long careers in the military.

Retired Master Cpl. Paul Franklin lost both of his legs above the knee in a 2006 suicide bombing in Afghanistan.

Franklin said that the incident, which probably should have killed him, instead gave him a new outlook on life.

"Every day is a new day, because I should be dead. I shouldn't have this piece of life left," he told CTV's Canada AM.

Now, more than eight years later, Franklin spends his time making sure his family is cared for, as well as spending time with his son and friends. He now works as an advocate for amputees.

"I'm always trying to move forward and not be bogged down by the injury itself," he said.

Franklin is one of the 19 members of a relay team that is tackling a 290-kilometre trek to Ottawa, on behalf of "Soldier On," a non-profit organization that works to help ill or wounded members of the Armed Forces adjust to their injuries through sports and recreation.

All of the team members participating in the relay have sustained a visible or non-visible illness or injury while serving in Afghanistan under Canadian command. Each will run, jog, or wheel varying lengths of the route.

The team kicked off the relay in Trenton, Ont. on Sunday, and is scheduled to arrive in Ottawa in time for the National Day of Honour ceremony on Friday.

The baton used in the relay contains the last Canadian flag to have flown at the International Security Assistance Force Headquarters in Kabul. It will be presented to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday during the National Day of Honour ceremony, which commemorates Canada's 12-year mission in Afghanistan.

Franklin decided to retire in 2009 because he thought his career might stagnate due to his injuries. However, he said opportunities in the Armed Forces are changing, and he now knows of other wounded soldiers who have continued serving and gone on to be promoted.

"You can be injured, you can be wounded, and you can still go to work," he said. "You can still have a career. You can still have a retirement; you can still have all those pieces."

He noted that while change can be slow to come in the military because of its large size, there is increasing awareness of the struggles Canadian soldiers face after being injured or falling ill.

"We just need to continue doing what we're doing. It's going to happen slowly, and it won't be pretty sometimes, but it is the right way forward," he said.

Franklin said that, because soldiers are often sent to volatile regions where they bear witness to traumatic events, they're at high risk for PTSD.

"Unfortunately, it's part of it. But it's something that we have to change, and it will happen," he said.

He added that while the mission in Afghanistan has now concluded, there will be other places Canadian soldiers will go and there will be more soldiers who will return home ill or wounded.

"It's something we've probably ignored in the past, and this is why we're doing this thing (relay) to raise awareness and showcase to the public what we're doing," he said.

Here's a map from Soldier On showing the team's relay route. Click on each of the stops below to read more details.

Canadians are invited to come out and cheer on the team along the route.

They can also rally behind the team by sending messages of support to Soldier On's official Twitter feed  and Facebook page.