Growing up in the small farming town of Fenwick, Brian duly attended school, worked summers on farms, played the requisite hockey and soccer, all the while dreaming of one thing – competing in the Easter Seals Dancing with the Stars event.
Finally, after 42 years, those dreams have become a reality.
When not daydreaming of dancing fame, Brian is the proud father or two wonderful kids, including a 9-year-old daughter who is herself a talented Irish dancer, and so is able to state with authority her father’s lack of ability. His 7-year-old son has also provided moral support by suggesting he stick with E – division men’s league hockey or, even better, a solitary pastime like hiking.
In between his dance aspirations and parenting, Brian is a partner at Ross & McBride LLP in the Personal Injury Group, where he spends his days advocating for persons injured and suffering from disability. His passion for assisting persons at difficult times in their lives developed in his late teens and twenties, after suffering a serious workplace injury himself, attending a Life Sciences Program at Queen’s University and embarking upon a career as a Case Manager with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
Realizing that he wanted to advocate and not just adjudicate, at the age of 29 he re-enrolled at Queen’s University, where, between practicing dance moves at various Kingston establishments, he studied Law. This opened the door to the privilege of getting to assist families at their time of greatest need, a humbling and tremendously rewarding experience.
Being chosen as a celebrity dancer has touched Brian on a personal level as well, as several years ago his nephew was diagnosed with Pompe’s disease, a rare type of genetic muscular dystrophy. Brian has gotten to see first-hand the importance of programs and camps like those provided by Easter Seals to the lives of so many in our society who require and deserve support as they bravely face the challenges life can throw our way.
And so, as Brian sweats through a self-imposed grueling training regime to prepare for November, he’ll do so with the knowledge that each step goes towards supporting a tremendous cause which benefits the lives of those in our society most deserving of our support.
