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Christopher Anderson thinks he’ll go through 450 rollerblade wheels on his nationwide journey raising awareness about mental health.
The idea began during COVID-19 when many Canadians were struggling with their mental health. Anderson knew he had to do something to help.
“I just wanted to go big to let everyone know you can do whatever you want and don’t give up,” he said.
Anderson said he enjoyed school until around Grade 7. After he graduated middle school, a trip to Banff with his family changed his whole life.
That’s where he discovered his love for the outdoors and physical activity.
“I’ve learned that if I’m not on my skates every day, it could potentially be a bad day,” he said. “This is my happy place. I felt I knew it before, but it’s solidified now.”
When asked what advice he would give to someone with mental health concerns, he said it all starts with the individual.
“The very first thing is to look in the mirror and have that hard cry and say, ‘I have mental illness,’ ” said Anderson.
He credits regular therapy sessions and medication on top of his love for rollerblading for his stable mental health.
“It’s not easy, but get it done because life is beautiful,” he said.
Christopher Anderson is roller-blading across Canada to raise funds for the Canadian Mental Health Association. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Anderson rolled into Regina on Thursday and said he was feeling pretty good. He said he’d been blown away by the kindness of the people of Saskatchewan.
He met a couple from Eatonia who paid for his gas and two meals. Another man stopped him on the highway to give him $100. He also applauds the truck drivers who have given him more space than most drivers do.
It would not be a trip to Regina without construction. Anderson said drivers were very patient.
“Two guys in a red pickup truck let me skate in front and they were kind of escorting me through it, which was very kind,” he said.
After battling the terrain in British Columbia and Alberta, he was happy for the flat prairie landscape and to have the wind at his back.
He said his biggest challenge so far has been the mountains. Going downhill required him to do a T-stop, where one blade is forward and the other drags behind.
He said his wheels practically melted away in the mountains. It took him three weeks to get out of British Columbia.
“There’s joy in agony. I still loved every moment of it,” he said.
However, he said someone would have to pay him big bucks to do it again.
Anderson started his journey on May 1, the start of Mental Health Awareness Month. He hopes to make it to the east coast in five months.
Anderson hopes to be an inspiration to others to speak out about mental health. He is raising money for his journey and the Canadian Mental Health Association through a GoFundMe page.