19 hour and 26 min skate for Alzheimer’s awareness

Dressed in a bright yellow sweatshirt and AC/DC-themed pants, Steve McNeil skates around the South Side Community Centre rink.

He circles the rink, avoiding the shale ice and uneven patches, and holds a “Thunderstick” in his hands. His highlighter-yellow Balaklava iced onto his face, he cuts a lone figure, a bright spot against the grey of winter.

He stepped on the ice at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 22, confronted with lows of -27° C and blustery wind pushing against him. He continued to skate for 19 hours and 26 minutes, until 7:26 p.m, ignoring the cold as light waned and temperatures dropped.

The 60-year-old postal worker does these long track skates to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s disease. Over the past decade, he has skated in rinks and arenas throughout Canada, traveling from coast to coast to spread his message.

Due to pandemic restrictions, he is only stopping in eight Ontario communities this year, and included Garrison Petawawa on the roster.

He wanted to show his support to the troops as he is incredibly grateful for all the sacrifices they’ve made.

“I wouldn’t be able to go across the country, doing what I do, if it wasn’t for them,” McNeil said. “So this location is special to me.”

He recognizes the challenges Alzheimer’s can create if a family member suffers from it while the soldier is deployed, in the field or on exercise.

It is an honour and a privilege to skate in Petawawa, said McNeil, pointing out that his father and uncles served in the Canadian Armed Forces.

McNeil asked that people donate $19.26 to the Marianhill Dementia Respite Unit through the Marianhill Foundation so that the money stays local.

At the very heart of it, his skating marathons are a tribute to his mother, Eunice, who died of Alzheimer’s. He also lost his mother-in-law and has seen other family members and friends struggle to care for loved ones with the disease.

It is a devastating diagnosis for families as they watch their loved ones disappear memory by memory.

He watched his mother go through this and decided he would do whatever he could to prevent others from suffering as she did.

As she was born in 1926 and he had a passion for skating, he had the idea to skate for 19 hours and 26 minutes to raise money for different dementia and Alzheimer-based organizations across the country.

Though he loves skating - he wouldn’t have been a hockey referee for decades otherwise - he admits that it can be taxing to stay on his feet for so long. But the pain, cold and exhaustion, even when it is so cold that his electronics freeze up and rink attendees legally cannot work, is nothing compared to the struggle of those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, he said.

It also helps that he turns it intoa bit of a one-person party as heblares AC/DC in his headphonesand air guitars to the tunes usingthe Thunderstick.

“I am very lucky that I can combine my two true loves: skating and music,” said McNeil.

For more information on his fundraising efforts or to donate, please visit www.1926skate.com.