Nirm Blatchford, an Easter Seals services worker, remembers how disabled teenager Damien Kaweski had called her “chicken” for refusing to rappel down a downtown skyscraper.
The 18-year-old Kaweski couldn’t understand Blatchford’s fear of heights, and had declared he would sway her by bouncing down the 20-storey downtown Vancouver building himself.
He passed away, however, before he could meet the age requirement of 19.
“Shock and grief struck me,” Blatchford recalled. Kaweski had been one of hundreds of children with disabilities who come to the annual Easter Seals Camps she helps run.
Now, 10 years after his death, she is finally ready to face her fear of heights.
On Tuesday, she will rappel down the 20-storey AXA Place building in his memory. The event at 999 West Hastings St. is expected to attract more than 70 participants, decked in superhero gear, for the annual Easter Seals Drop Zone.
“Am I afraid? Yes,” Blatchford said. “(But) Damien will be with me … and I’ll picture him smiling and laughing as my heart races faster.”
As she makes her 200-foot descent, the Burnaby mother knows there’s a bigger message to Easter Seals’ annual events.
“It’s about a lifetime of memories and friendships,” Blatchford said. “This one’s for you buddy.”
