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.
“I’m not doing this to break records or get into the Guinness Book of Records, there is a real need for awareness out there and I’m hoping to that I can even bring an ounce of awareness,” he said. “If that happens, I’ll be happy.”
According to Anderson, there are many ‘behind-the-scenes’ results of mental illness. He said people who live with bipolar disorder are 30 per cent more liable to die by suicide.
“COVID brought on more teenage suicides than we have experienced in the past,” he said, “and separation from friends, social connections and just daily routines has a huge effect on a person’s mental health.”
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.
“I lost my mind and I thought I was going to die,” Anderson said. “I spent time in 2006, ‘07 and ‘08 in rehabilitation and fortunately with help and time, I managed to get my family back.”
Anderson’s 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 trucks’ 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.
“My 82-year-old mother will be driving from the beginning, at Whistler, to Calgary, which will take about 10 days,” said Anderson. “My family has always been pillars in my life. Love is so important for persons suffering from mental illness.”
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.
“The 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,” Anderson said.
He said he’s logged 800 kilometres training for his challenge, “so I believe I know what I’m getting into.” He’s 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.
“When I was ten I wanted the whole world to be covered in ice,” Anderson said, “I was very good at skating, but realized my dream wouldn’t come true, but it did in a way because I discovered rollerblading, so that allowed me to go almost anywhere.”
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and it seemed like a good time for him to hit the road. He’s raised more than $20,000 and asks that people helping him with donations also donate to the Canadian Mental Health Association. He’s gotten generous gifts of food, fuel and other items, including more than 400 rollerblade wheels.
“They wear out very quickly,” he said. “I can rotate them, but I’ll still probably ending up using all the spares.”
For more information, visit http://gofund.me/5d3f02d2.
— Duck Paterson, Special to the Ladysmith Chronicle
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editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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