Bob Lenarduzzi, Club Liaison of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, is among speakers sharing their personal experiences with dementia at the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s inaugural Breakfast to Remember fundraiser in Kelowna..
Lenarduzzi stepped onto the world stage in the ‘70s, propelled by physical determination and strength as an incredible soccer player. The challenges brought on by two diagnoses of dementia in his family within a short period of time required emotional strength to navigate. The long-time supporter of people living with dementia will talk about how his family was affected by dementia on Tuesday, March 10, from 7-9 a.m. at the Coast Capri Hotel.
Lenarduzzi’s father-in-law, Denny Veitch, was at the helm of the B.C. Lions in the late 1960s before becoming Vancouver Whitecaps’ general manager in the ‘70s. He died from Alzheimer’s disease in 2012. Shortly before Denny’s death, Lenarduzzi’s mother Clelia Lenarduzzi, with whom Bob’s wife Deanne Veitch had been very close, was diagnosed with dementia. Clelia died in 2014.
“Nobody likes to talk about dementia, but we have to,” Bob Lenarduzzi says. “A lot of families are going through what we went through and while we can’t change the diagnosis, we hope we can change how B.C. families experience the dementia journey.”
Joining Lenarduzzi is another person whose personal experience of dementia has led him to stand up for others facing the disease.
Craig Burns was working in non-profit management in Kelowna and physically active when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The reality of dementia was difficult for Burns to accept, and once he did, he began sharing his story with others to help break down stigma and change the future of the disease.
Burns was a national spokesperson for this winter’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Month campaign and is a member of the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s Board of Directors and Leadership Group of People Living with Dementia.
“When people question my diagnosis because I don’t show any signs of it, it reinforces the stereotype that Alzheimer’s disease only affects the elderly,” Burns says. “They may be picturing someone in the later stages of the disease. I don’t fit that mold. I help them to see there isn’t a mold.”
Lenarduzzi and Craig will both take the stage at Kelowna’s first-ever Breakfast to Remember. The fundraiser is also held annually in Victoria and Vancouver.
“My wife Kim and I are pleased and honoured to sponsor Breakfast to Remember,” says Rick Wright, Valley Mitsubishi owner. “So many of us have a personal connection and we can only hope that research will help us better understand this disease.”
Hosted by Phil Johnson, Early Edition host, AM 1150, Breakfast to Remember is an opportunity for community leaders across all sectors to take a leading role in creating change for people affected by dementia. For more details, or to purchase tickets, visit the Breakfast To Remember website.