Finally, a home-cooked meal and the comfort of his own bed.
Mark DeMontis deserves as much after his accomplishment.
Back in June, he strapped on a pair of rollerblades and headed west.
Some 5,000 kilometres – and four pairs of blades – later, he reached the finish in Vancouver on Oct. 16. More importantly, he had reached his goal of raising money and awareness for hockey for the visually impaired.
“I guess I was a man on a mission. Now it’s mission accomplished,” said DeMontis, 22, who became legally blind at 17 after being stricken by Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy, a rare optic disorder.
DeMontis traversed through 66 Canadian cities en route to raising $60,000 and awareness for Courage Canada, a not-for-profit foundation he founded last year to help fund Learn-to-Skate programs for visually impaired youth.
He decided to embark on his roller-wheeled quest after gaining inspiration from Chris Delaney, who suffers from the same optic disorder and rode across Canada in 1996 on a two-seater bike.
Delaney’s efforts raised $300,000 for eye research.
“I met (Delaney) in 2007 during a tough time in my life,” DeMontis said. “I remember one night laying in bed thinking about what he had done. He was a role model for me. I thought why not try and show people that it can be done, that while you may be blind, you can still do it (rollerblade across Canada).”
Despite the good intentions, there were logistical issues to overcome.
Where would he get the sponsorship, the daily support, the organization and even the courage to leave home for more than three months to rollerblade across Canada?
It wasn’t easy, beginning with the obvious physical and mental anguish. Even at 22, the trek proved difficult.
DeMontis put in about 70 kilometres each day and would go to bed with blisters, sore knees and wasted muscles.
Then there was the weather.
“When we were going through Ontario, I don’t think there were two days when it didn’t rain,” said DeMontis, who played Triple-A hockey in the GTHL at 17 before he began to lose his eyesight.
Despite the challenges, DeMontis had his believers.
Reebok Hockey stepped up to provide all the equipment needed and Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk came through with an RV, something DeMontis pointed out as central to the entire effort. And more corporate support came from Tim Hortons, the NHL, the Lions Club and Rogers.
There were calls of encouragement from Maple Leaf greats Ron Ellis and Johnny Bower; Walter and Wayne Gretzky showed up along the way for support, as did Trailer Park Boys actors Pat Roach and John Dunsworth, and former NHL defenceman Rick Chartraw threw in his support as well.
And every step of the way, DeMontis also had his buddies there to help him along.
Cameron Williams, a childhood friend, and P.J. Power and Jason Firestone, whom he met at the University of Western Ontario, took turns on the rollerblades to keep DeMontis focused.
“I think the hardest part was just dealing with everything and still trying to maintain your daily goals,” DeMontis said. “I’m lucky to have great friends and a great family. But the biggest challenge was the mental one.”
DeMontis arrived in Vancouver Oct. 16 with a host of supporters and family cheering wildly as he crossed the finish line, wearing a Team Canada hockey jersey and waving a Canadian flag.
With his journey complete, DeMontis hopes to continue acquiring sponsorships to help create more hockey opportunities for the visually impaired. One idea he is working on is organizing a motivational speaking tour.
Ultimately, he is hoping for the inclusion of hockey for the visually impaired in the Paralympics.