Marking the 100th anniversary of legendary escape artist Harry Houdini’s death, a world-renowned Manitoban escapologist made an escape for hope. Dean Gunnarson teamed up with the local not-for-profit Linking Hope to escape from handcuffs, chains and a locked water tank on Saturday. Adding to the already nail-biting suspense, Gunnarson escaped exactly at 1:26 p.m. – the minute Houdini died. Gunnarson said the collaboration was grounded in one common theme: hope. “Houdini’s message was always about hope. He came from a very poor immigrant family; he had to start work when he was 13 years old just to help support his mother and people,” Gunnarson said on Saturday. “When he became successful, he was the highest-paid entertainer … he gave a lot of that back. “When you give people hope, you give them dignity. You give them the courage and the strength to move forward and that’s why I really like the connection with Linking Hope.” Speaking about 44 years of his career, Gunnarson said it wasn’t only filled with ups – also with lots of downs. “I’ve hurt myself many times; I’ve been hit by roller coasters, I’ve lost body parts, I’ve broken all my teeth … but you know, you have to keep going, right? “If you lose hope, you lose hope – that’s it, there’s no more escaping. But as long as with that hope, you can do anything … and that’s what impresses me about Kristie and her volunteers; they all have that enthusiasm, that sense of hope, helping others.” Kristie Pearson, co-chair of Linking Hope, said hope can come from various sources – like entertainment, magic, even from a pair of socks. “It’s so important for people in a community that might be fighting for that last bit of hope to be able to see someone like Dean do something really special – but also to see him backing an organization like ours,” Pearson said. Gunnarson has been paying tribute to Houdini throughout his career, but this year may be the last, as he “outlived Houdini and my body has outlived me.” More information about Linking Hope is available online. With files from CTV News’ Zachary Kitchen
