Community Unites to Send North Vancouver Mother to Olympic Games
In a heartwarming display of solidarity, friends and community members have rallied together to ensure Patricia Seger can travel to Italy to watch her sons compete at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. While her husband Mark remains at home battling ALS, the community's support has made it possible for Patricia to be present for this monumental family moment.
A Family's Olympic Dream Amid Health Challenges
Brodie and Riley Seger, brothers from North Vancouver, are representing Canada in the downhill and super-G alpine skiing events. For Patricia, the decision to travel to Italy was fraught with uncertainty. "When other parents were booking flights and rooms months ago, I held back," she admitted. "I thought, 'I don't know if I can do it.' I didn't know what our life would look like."
The Seger family has been living one day at a time since Mark was diagnosed with ALS in 2012. Despite his deteriorating health over recent years, Mark maintained his positive outlook through what the family calls the "Power of Positive Thinking" or PPT philosophy. Patricia was initially hesitant to leave her husband's side, unsure how to plan for such a significant trip given their daily uncertainties.
Community Steps Up to Make the Impossible Possible
That's when what Patricia describes as "a village of support" emerged. Her sister Elizabeth, along with friends Kim and Jackie, offered to provide 24-hour home care for Mark. Meanwhile, fellow Whistler ski club parents Jenni and Rob Yates arranged accommodations in Italy, ensuring Patricia would have a place to stay if she could make the journey.
"He has beaten the odds," Patricia said of her husband from her room overlooking the ski hill in Bormio, Italy. The community's collective effort has allowed her to witness her sons' Olympic dreams firsthand while knowing Mark is well cared for at home.
The Seger Brothers' Journey to Olympic Competition
This marks the second Olympic appearance for Brodie, 30, who previously competed in Beijing, and the first for his younger brother Riley, 28. The siblings have followed parallel paths in their skiing careers, with Riley often pushing his older brother to greater heights. "Brodie grew up with a bull's-eye on his back," Patricia laughed. "Everything he did, Riley wanted to do."
Both brothers trained with the Whistler Mountain Ski Club program and have achieved significant success in international competition. Brodie made history in 2022 by becoming the first Canadian in eight years to win a World Cup downhill event at Kvitfjell, Norway, and has since earned four additional downhill bronze medals. Riley joined Team Canada in 2023 and achieved his first top-10 finish in super-G competition in Aspen, Colorado that same year.
Perspective Gained Through Adversity
Patricia reflects on the family's journey with profound perspective. "Just getting here is an achievement," she said of her sons' Olympic qualification. "It's years of training, injury, rehab, missing things at home—it's been their whole life."
She draws parallels between ski racing and life itself, noting that "so much is beyond your control" in both arenas. The family's experience with Mark's ALS diagnosis has shaped their outlook profoundly. Patricia recalls the difficult moment they received the diagnosis at the G.F. Strong clinic, describing how they were told Mark had a terminal illness with a potentially short prognosis.
Through it all, the family has maintained their PPT philosophy, finding strength in positivity despite the challenges they face. The community's support in sending Patricia to the Olympics represents not just a practical solution to a logistical problem, but a testament to the power of collective care and human connection.
