Andrew Nielsen
Andrew Nielsen has become something of an Easter Seals fundraising champion. In the last three years, he has raised $28,000 for Easter Seals through Drop Zone Toronto and the Toronto Maple Leafs Skate for Easter Seals Kids. “When I rappel down a building in my wheelchair, I feel so alive,” says Andrew. “I am a lifelong Leafs fan so meeting my favourite players on the rink is pretty awesome too.”
Rappelling down the side of buildings and raising large sums of money are not small accomplishments for a man with cerebral palsy. As Andrew says, “I cannot walk or use my arms and legs that well. I cannot speak on my own. I have trouble swallowing so I eat my meals through a G-tube.”
For mobility, Andrew currently uses a manual wheelchair and to communicate he uses a speech device. He has fond memories of how, when he was a little kid, Easter Seals would provide financial assistance “so that my parents could buy my wheelchairs. I grew out of my wheelchairs like I grew out of my clothes and I needed several different ones growing up.”
That’s not all Easter Seals helped with though. Andrew also spent much of his youth at Easter Seals camp, and has many unforgettable memories from that time. “When I went away to camp it was one of the first times I was away from my parents. I got to do things on my own and become more independent which has helped me as an adult. Because of camp I am more confident.”
Andrew looked forward to going to camp as much as he looked forward to Christmas. “I always had a blast. I made friends with kids like me! I loved being at camp so much that I used to cry when my parents came to get me.”
It’s at Easter Seals camp in 1987, where Andrew met his lifelong and best friend, Todd. “Todd worked there as a counsellor and I was a camper. I think Todd and I became close friends for many reasons. At camp, I liked his sense of humour. He would do wacky things like dress up and wrestle as Hulk Hogan, help me out of my chair so I could to do a mosh pit dance, and sing horrible songs to wake us up in the morning.”
Andrew is now 47 years old and he and Todd continue to attend sporting events together, have gone on trips to New York, Florida and Las Vegas and were the best man at each other’s weddings. He also helps Andrew raise funds for Easter Seals. “I am happy to have Todd in my life,” says Andrew. “We always have fun together and he is always there for me.”
It’s in part because of their close relationship that Andrew wants to give back to Easter Seals. “I love working with Easter Seals, they gave me so much. It wasn’t just mobility equipment, or the experience of camp, but also, friendships for life. Raising money so that kids with physical disabilities like me can go to camp is the least that I can do.”