‘I don’t feel old’: Great-grandmother rollerblading down Island for BC SPCA

An 80 year-old great-grandma is doing the exact opposite of what most people her age are doing.

“I don’t feel old, I feel like I’m back at 60,” said Sonya Bardati when CHEK News caught up with her at a roadside pullout near Port McNeill Wednesday.

Bardati celebrated her 80th birthday in Port Hardy Tuesday, on the eve of her 350 kilometre rollerblading fundraiser from Port Hardy to Parksville.

“I said, ‘hey I’m going to go rollerblade for my 80th birthday’ and then I started thinking from where to where? Well, Port Hardy to Parksville, from P to P,” she said laughing. “And then I thought well I want to do it for charity, so I immediately thought of the SPCA.”

She hopes to raise $20,000 and the spunky great grandma has already raised $3,500.

She says she will rollerblade an average of 50 km a day and hopes for smooth rolling in the days ahead, reaching Parksville on Aug. 15.

“Some of the roads are not very good. Back there, there was some rumble strips and over there is all chip and tar, ugh, it’s just very hard. My leg is just vibrating. And I don’t what to run into animals but I got this whistle, so that’s what I use,” she added, blowing the whistle.

Her husband says she’s broken nine bones in recent months and is worried she’ll fall and break more.

“I guess I could say, I wasn’t all that enthused at first but she really wanted to do this so I’m in,” Ken Reid said.

Click here to learn more or to donate to Sonya’s cause.

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