The Gift of Joy: Remembering Andrew MacEachern
May 28, 2025
By: Dayna Park
When Andrew MacEachern’s name comes up in conversation, his sisters don’t speak of hardship. Instead, they recall joy. They remember his laughter, his boundless kindness, and his uncanny ability to bring people together.
“If you looked up ‘joy’ in the dictionary, you’d see his picture,” says Andrew’s older sister, Donna, her voice filled with warmth, her eyes filled with tears. “He was a joyful, joyful person.”
A blessing, not a burden
Andrew, who died on June 3, 2023, was the first Nova Scotian to win a Special Olympics medal for Canada. He earned a silver medal in backstroke as part of the first Canadian team to compete at the 1983 International Special Olympic Games.
For 35 years, Andrew also worked at the Victoria General Hospital in the stores department, greeting patients and visitors with a special dose of Cape Breton charm.
Andrew, whose family has deep roots in Judique, N.S., was the heart of that family, his sisters say, teaching them patience, kindness, and the true meaning of unconditional love. His father, William MacEachern, a former Nova Scotia Health Minister, once said in an interview, “Andrew was the best thing that ever happened to our family.”
It was a sentiment his entire family shared.
Despite having Down syndrome and standing just 4’9”, Andrew believed he could do anything.
“Andrew was a remarkable person who never saw barriers—only possibilities,” says Donna.
Even when confronting an obstacle, Andrew remained positive. When he decided he wanted to learn how to drive, his father pointed out the practical challenge: his feet didn’t reach the pedals.
Rather than seeing this as a setback, Andrew simply asked, ‘Well, when my feet reach the pedals, can I learn how to drive?’
His father assured him he could, but in the end, Andrew never did. When his sister later asked if he still wanted to learn, he laughed and said, ‘No, I like having my sisters drive me around.’
“He always had a way of turning challenges into something positive,” Donna remembers with a laugh.
A New Reality
Often, people with Down syndrome do not live beyond their 50th birthday. At 50, Dr. Ken Rockwood diagnosed Andrew with Alzheimer’s disease, but he lived to be 64.
As the disease progressed, it took pieces of Andrew away, bit by bit, although Donna says they enjoyed laughter and fun along the way.
The hope that Andrew’s life might contribute to Alzheimer’s research is the reason Andrew’s sisters have established a fund in his name at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine. In addition, both Donna and Catriona MacEachern have arranged to include Andrew’s fund in their estate plans, deepening his legacy.
“Research is the key,” Donna emphasizes. “We want to support the kind of work that leads to real change—better treatments, better care, and one day, hopefully, a cure.”
Even with Alzheimer’s, Andrew’s spirit continued to shine in the small moments of joy he shared with those around him.
His life was filled with his work at the Victoria General, time with friends and family, parties, and travel. He loved swimming, exploring new places around the world, and—as a true Cape Bretoner—striking up conversations with people who began as strangers, but left as friends.
“When he’d arrive at work, he would find out who was admitted from Cape Breton overnight, then make a stop by their room to visit,” says Donna. ‘I’m Andrew and my father is Bill MacEachern,’ he would say—the typical island greeting.
No Limits
One of Andrew’s early dreams was to play hockey like his brother, but weak ankles made skating difficult. Instead of feeling discouraged, he looked for an alternative and found his passion in swimming.
In the water, there were no limitations. Neither his height, mobility issues, nor physical differences mattered. He swam for the Halifax Trojans Aquatic Club for 29 years and for Special Olympics for nearly 50 years. It became his happy place, a space where he could push past any obstacle.
Despite his individual accomplishments, what Andrew loved most was being part of a team. His favourite event was the relay, even though participants did not receive medals. When asked why he preferred relays, he responded “Because it’s a team—I want to be with my team.”
At the end of every competition, Andrew did not tally his own medals; instead, he counted how many his entire team had won.
Supporting real change
Dr. Kenneth Rockwood, who treated Andrew after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, counted himself as one of Andrew’s friends.
In addition to being the Senior Medical Director for the Frailty and Elder Care Network at Nova Scotia Health, Dr. Rockwood is a professor of Geriatric Medicine and Neurology and the Kathryn Allen Weldon Professor of Alzheimer Research at Dalhousie University. knew Andrew well.