The community and friends of the Segers in North Vancouver have come together to send Mom Patricia Seger to the Milano Cortina Olympic Games to watch sons Brodie and Riley Seger, while Dad Mark, who has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, watches from home.

Brothers Brodie and Riley Seger from North Vancouver will represent Canada in the downhill and super-G races. Their journey has been especially emotional because their dad, Mark, was diagnosed with ALS in 2012. While other families were planning their trips to Italy months in advance, their mom, Patricia, wasn’t sure if she could even go because of Mark’s health.

This is when Patricia’s friends and community stepped in to help. Her sister Elizabeth, along with friends Kim and Jackie, offered to take care of Mark around the clock at home. Other ski parents, Jenni and Rob Yates from Whistler, made sure there would be a big enough room for Patricia to stay in Bormio if she decided to come. This is Brodie’s second Olympics, as he competed in Beijing before, but it’s Riley’s first. Growing up, both brothers were inspired by their dad, Mark, and spent their childhood skiing, longboarding, and mountain biking.

Both brothers trained with the Whistler Mountain Ski Club and worked incredibly hard. Brodie has won four World Cup downhill bronze medals, and Riley joined Team Canada in 2023, earning his first top-10 finish that same year. Patricia says just making it to the Olympics is a huge achievement because it represents years of hard work, injuries, recovery, and sacrifices made by the family.

Source: Denise Ryan, Vancouver Sun