Joey Saccary didn’t let fear, or a disability, stop him from rappelling down one of Halifax’s tallest buildings.
"Oh my God, what did I get myself into?" said Saccary, recalling the moment he began his descent down 1801 Hollis St on Aug. 13.
Saccary, 50, from Glace Bay, N.S., lives with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair to get around.
He plays sledge hockey and spends time helping others get active to the best of their abilities.
One of Saccary’s sisters did something similar for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, so he thought he’d give rappelling a try.
Saccary says he was facing a fear of heights for a good cause.
"My adrenaline was going. My fear of heights was getting up there,” he said. “But again, I was thinking about the money, and where it's going, and how it's going to help people with disabilities."
Kurtis Deveaux, a disability advocate and sledge hockey teammate of Saccary's, says seeing what his friend was able to pull off was inspiring.
"[My] first thought was, 'better him than me,'" Deveaux said. “[The kids] really need that boost. They really need to be able to see somebody like them doing things that nobody ever thought possible."
While it might be tempting not to look down, Saccary said he couldn’t resist.
"I looked down. I looked everywhere,” he said. “And it was a beautiful sight. I looked all across the harbour, the water. It was beautiful."
Saccary’s efforts raised more than $1,300 for Easter Seals. Now, he says he’d like to do it again next year.
"It felt amazing,” he said. “Once I got down, I couldn't believe I did it.”
