We caught up with David Lewenberg, hockey fan and Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am participant, to hear what life has been like since his dad moved to Baycrest last year.

Every year since 2007, David Lewenberg, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at Genumark, has laced up his skates in support of the Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am. Now, after seven years and more than $86,000 raised by David, his commitment to Baycrest is stronger than ever.

Like thousands of other Canadians, David and his family made the difficult decision to find a long-term care home for his father who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. What follows are David’s reflections on why playing in the Pro-Am means a future without Alzheimer’s.

Read David’s full interview:

Tell us about your dad and the type of man he is.

My dad was – is – a really simple man. Being an immigrant, a Holocaust survivor and living a very simple life, he was able to provide for us and he was always an inspiration. He would spend hours telling us stories about the Holocaust – never preaching prejudice…just knowledge. For someone who had no formal education, he was really where we learned everything.

When was your dad diagnosed?

My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease approximately seven years ago; which ironically, was a year after I started playing in the [Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am].

Knowing your dad had Alzheimer’s, what fears did you have for the future and for his care?

I feared more for my mom than anything. She’s a caregiver by nature and I knew that she would really dedicate her life to taking care of him. I also knew that she wasn’t equipped to do that. So fearing the day that he would actually have to go into a home and knowing how that would devastate my mother was something that made me and my family nervous. And of course, we didn’t really understand the disease and what Alzheimer’s was going to do to him.

How did you make the decision to place your dad at Baycrest?

When my dad was first diagnosed, his caseworker suggested we go on multiple waiting lists right away. That was very hard for my family, because it felt like we were admitting that eventually he was going to succumb to this disease. When we got the call from Baycrest, we couldn’t believe it. We always knew that Baycrest was the place to be.

Now that your dad has been living at Baycrest for a little over a year, what does Baycrest mean to you?

More than anything, it’s allowed my mother to return to being a great grandmother, a great mother and a great wife. Being a full-time caregiver is not a career for a wife. She took caregiving so seriously that it was all-consuming. Now that the mechanical part of his care is being taken care of by Baycrest, it allows my mom to visit every day and do what she does best – be a great wife. With Baycrest in the picture, we can have fun and be a family again.

Why did you first get involved in the Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am?

I love hockey. A friend asked me if I wanted to play hockey with ex-pros and told me I’d have to raise a bit of money. He basically had me at hello.

Describe what it was like the first time you laced up your skates and played with the NHL alumni.

The first [NHL alumni] I played with was Wendel Clark. He was a gentleman and all the things you thought Wendel Clark was when you were a kid. It was such a great experience and he really made it feel like a “pro-am.” Years later, during another Pro-Am, I played with Steve Thomas and he kept passing me the puck. I kept passing and it back and finally he said: “David, I’ve got lots of goals, you need a few!” So every year has been a lot of fun.

Why do you encourage others to get involved with Pro-Am?

A lot of the time when you get involved in a cause, it’s initially just for fun… and then the cause takes on a life of its own. You realize how important what you’re doing is and how important the work you’re helping fund is. So the fun grows into you really being part of a solution – and I’m all about that. Giving back is really important for all of us and when you can have fun at the same time, it’s an easy sell.

Anything else you’d like to say about your experience with Baycrest and the Pro-Am?

You know, when I was a kid, cancer was the scare for our parents. I think that many of us now realize that Alzheimer’s and dementia is the fear for our generation. There are two parts to consider – one is the care of the people that already have it; and two, we need research to help find treatments and a cure.  Baycrest is doing both and I’m grateful we’ll be taken care of when it’s our generation’s turn to face these challenges.

Throughout its nine-year history, the Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am has raised more than $25 million. So far this year, David Lewenberg’s Pro-Am team, The Underachievers, has raised more than $39,572 and their fundraising total continues to climb.

This interview has been condensed and edited.