A Ladysmith man with a lot of energy is going to put that into a cross-Canada rollerblading adventure.
Christopher Anderson, 54, plans to leave from Whistler on May 1 with a goal to make it to the East Coast in about five to five and a half months.
Anderson, who lives with attention deficit disorder, hyper-activity disorder and bipolar affective disorder and has difficulties concentrating, is taking on his challenge as a way to bring attention to mental health.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not doing this to break records or get into the Guinness Book of Records, there is a real need for awareness out there and IB次元官网网址檓 hoping to that I can even bring an ounce of awareness,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚f that happens, IB次元官网网址檒l be happy.B次元官网网址�
According to Anderson, there are many B次元官网网址榖ehind-the-scenesB次元官网网址� results of mental illness. He said people who live with bipolar disorder are 30 per cent more liable to die by suicide.
B次元官网网址淐OVID brought on more teenage suicides than we have experienced in the past,B次元官网网址� he said, B次元官网网址渁nd separation from friends, social connections and just daily routines has a huge effect on a personB次元官网网址檚 mental health.B次元官网网址�
Anderson, who has lived in Ladysmith for the past seven years, was born in Montreal and has also lived in Cambridge, Ont. and in California. There were times when he was into drugs that he lost connection with his children and other family and friends.
B次元官网网址淚 lost my mind and I thought I was going to die,B次元官网网址� Anderson said. B次元官网网址淚 spent time in 2006, B次元官网网址�07 and B次元官网网址�08 in rehabilitation and fortunately with help and time, I managed to get my family back.B次元官网网址�
AndersonB次元官网网址檚 plan is to depart from Whistler to Pemberton and follow Duffy Lake Road to Lillooet. The road consists of steep hills and sharp hairpins that set some heavy trucksB次元官网网址� brakes on fire. Some areas have rock fall risks and cellphone coverage is unreliable.
Anderson has converted a van into a small home on wheels for his adventure.
B次元官网网址淢y 82-year-old mother will be driving from the beginning, at Whistler, to Calgary, which will take about 10 days,B次元官网网址� said Anderson. B次元官网网址淢y family has always been pillars in my life. Love is so important for persons suffering from mental illness.B次元官网网址�
When he reaches Calgary, one of his twin 27-year-old daughters will fly up from California and take over the position of driver, coach, motivator and all other support services until she is called home to be with her pregnant sister.
B次元官网网址淭he plan for that period is that I will drive the camper van ahead 50 miles and then hitchhike back to where I started that day, and then roller blade to the van, kind of like leap-frogging,B次元官网网址� Anderson said.
He said heB次元官网网址檚 logged 800 kilometres training for his challenge, B次元官网网址渟o I believe I know what IB次元官网网址檓 getting into.B次元官网网址� HeB次元官网网址檚 hoping to rollerblade 80 kilometres per day, and thinks he can do better than that on the flat Prairies. He loved ice skating as a kid, but rollerblading now lets him skate farther.
B次元官网网址淲hen I was ten I wanted the whole world to be covered in ice,B次元官网网址� Anderson said, B次元官网网址淚 was very good at skating, but realized my dream wouldnB次元官网网址檛 come true, but it did in a way because I discovered rollerblading, so that allowed me to go almost anywhere.B次元官网网址�
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and it seemed like a good time for him to hit the road. HeB次元官网网址檚 raised more than $20,000 and asks that people helping him with donations also donate to the Canadian Mental Health Association. HeB次元官网网址檚 gotten generous gifts of food, fuel and other items, including more than 400 rollerblade wheels.
B次元官网网址淭hey wear out very quickly,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 can rotate them, but IB次元官网网址檒l still probably ending up using all the spares.B次元官网网址�
For more information, visit .
B次元官网网址� Duck Paterson, Special to the Ladysmith Chronicle
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