For nine seasons as an offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League, Chuck Liebrock lined up against players who were often bigger and stronger than him.
Yet at a playing size of 6'1", 245 pounds, Liebrock held his own playing in the gridiron trenches as an offensive guard for the Toronto Argonauts (1968-69) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1970-77).
However, when the 82-year-old 麻豆精选 resident and his wife Michele learned five years ago he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, he had to face the reality that this was one battle he would not ultimately win.
In their 52 years together, Chuck and Michele have supported each other in raising three children, living the professional football life in the CFL followed by career changes and moves across Canada, and weathering the wear and tear left behind on his body from football.
While they admit to being in denial when first faced with a dementia diagnosis, they are learning to navigate life today which now affects more than 95,000 people in B.C.
That journey and talking publicly about facing Alzheimer's as a couple have led them to be the honourary patrons for this year's IG Wealth Management Walk For Alzheimer's fundraiser slated for Sunday, May 25, at 麻豆精选 City Park, 1 p.m.
The walk, one of many across the province, raised $38,000 for dementia support services last year and organizers hope to exceed that this year.
While Liebrock's physical health has deteriorated in recent years, he continues to go to the gym three times a week, part of his routine to do all he can within his control to fight off the onset of dementia, to enjoy his life, his family and in particular his grandchildren.
"If I have one dream now it is to see my one-year-old grandchild grow up because I think he will be something special," Liebrock smiled.
Liebrock was no stranger to the realities of dementia, especially as a former football player who suffered concussions without the safety protocols that exist for players today.
He can recount many former teammates and friends he met through football, dating back to his days in high school growing up in Windsor, Ont., who have died from brain injuries.
Liebrock has participated in research related to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a degenerative, progressive brain disease linked to repeated head impacts or concussions that is now actively researched for its association with the development of dementia.
Since there is still no way to diagnose CTE without an autopsy, Liebrock has chosen to donate his brain to the research program upon his death.
Liebrock looks back on his football playing days with no regrets, thankful for the life lessons and opportunities he was granted from the sport.
"I wouldn't change a thing," he said. "But the protocols for dealing with concussion injuries are better today. In my day, they would hold up two fingers as a test, and if you could see them then you were sent back in. As a trainer once told me, if you can't play hurt you can't play."
He also has genetic connections to the disease as two of his family members were diagnosed with dementia.
"Getting a dementia diagnosis is frightening, but you can't get support if you don't talk about it," said Michele, relating the importance of how dementia support groups have been both to her as a caregiver and her husband.
"It's why the Walk is so important. It provides an opportunity for communities to support people affected by the disease. It's a way of saying, 'I'm doing this for you and you're doing this for me.'"
Guy Bird, the volunteer organizer for the 麻豆精选 Walk, has been a long-time champion of the importance of seeking help, having been a caregiver himself for his wife after she was diagnosed with dementia.
"What I tell people is to not be afraid to ask for help. Needing help doesn't make you weak, it makes you smart," Bird said.
For the Liebrocks, that support has helped them address a mental health diagnosis that Chuck acknowledges is a "one-way street" with no cure.
"People always talk about doing things when they retire. But you should do that stuff now, don't put it off," he said.
Life has changed for the Liebrocks since his diagnosis, as they have let go of some of their retirement dreams.
Chuck loved to ski, hike and hunt, and they used to love spending time together working in their garden. Those activities have ended although he still can enjoy "coaching" Michele on where things should go in the garden.
He says his dementia impact at this point is not a loss of memory, but lapses in the chronological order of those memories.
"I will remember going out for dinner with someone but have trouble remembering what day it was, thinking it was yesterday when it was two days before," he said.
Michele initially noticed her easygoing husband was becoming increasingly anxious and paranoid.
Chuck himself noticed memory lapses beginning to occur about 10 years ago.
"I was getting older and I thought it was normal to remember less," he recalled.
"But then I started losing my ability to multitask, which I always took so much pride in. That was when I first started to get concerned."
The couple made an appointment with their family doctor, who referred Chuck for more testing which led to his diagnosis.
"It can be lonely. We have changed, our relationship has changed, but it has also brought us closer together," Michele concludes.
"I know that if you continue to try, there's an opportunity for success," Chuck added, reflecting a mentality that allowed him to find success on the football field.
"If you quit, you're finished. I won't quit."
For more information about the Alzheimer's Walk and to sign up as part of a team or as an individual participant, check out the website WalkforAlzheimers.ca.
If you are affected by dementia, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. can help. Call the First Link Dementia Helpline at 1-800-936-6033 or visit alzheimerbc.org.
