“Let’s go.”
Two words, perhaps the quietest throwaway in a soaring Super Bowl ad from Toyota. The story of two brothers, both Olympians, who together figured out a path forward when that path looked to have been irreparably altered.
Brian McKeever, 42, is a global and Canadian Team Toyota Athlete. He is Canada’s most decorated Winter Paralympian, with 17 medals — 13 of them gold. His brother Robin, 48, was the older brother who went first, who would be an inspiration and a challenger and eventually, a partner when Stargardt disease started stealing Brian’s vision.
Stargardt disease is a hereditary form of macular degeneration with a 50/50 chance of being passed to offspring. It begins as central vision loss and rapidly deteriorates leaving behind only partial peripheral sight. It’s rare, though the McKeever brothers, born and raised in Alberta, grew up knowing all about it. Their father William had been diagnosed with the genetic condition at a young age, as had his sister. The boys grew up understanding their father’s vision was compromised, but his goals in life never were. A phys ed teacher for 29 years, together with the boys’ mother Jean, William set the pace for a family active and engaged in multiple sports — including cross-country skiing.
Robin and Brian McKeever, brothers born six years apart, have been on skis almost from the time they could walk. “I won my first race,” says Robin. “I was the only competitor in my age category.” Brian says he entered his first race around age 5, and finished 5th. Out of five. Watching his older brother compete and win only spurred the youngster on.
“Dad was our hero growing up,” says Brian. Robin echoes the sentiment before the sentence has been completed. “It was definitely tough love in our house. Dad’s blindness was just normal to us. But there were no excuses, ever.” Because Stargardt typically hits when children are young, Brian and Robin assumed they’d both cleared the danger years. Then in 1997, when he was 18 and in university, Brian experienced the tell-tale signs setting in as his vision rapidly deteriorated. A blood test concluded he’d indeed inherited the gene.
“It was a shock,” says Brian. “Dad knew by grade one, and we just assumed we didn’t have it.” He had a knee-jerk reaction as the life he’d planned changed in a moment, but after a few weeks of grieving that loss, he looked at his father’s life and prepared to move forward. In 1998, Robin represented Canada on the cross-country ski team at the Olympic Games in Nagano. Brian continued to compete in both able-bodied and para events, but by 2001 he was down to the last ten per cent of his vision. His coach told him it was time to consider having a guide — a skier who skis ahead to serve as his eyes.
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But who? Who could he train with, who could be as fit, who could be as determined? Robin, the brother who had led the way for a lifetime was now stepping into what would be the most crucial role for, as it turns out, both men.
“I felt guilty,” admits Brian. Robin barely lets him finish.
“He saved me,” says Robin. “He put me in my career, and I’d never trained harder.” Both men speak only of what they’ve gained, and nothing of what has been surrendered or missed. It’s easy to hear their father’s grit coming through in how these superb athletes face challenges both in the sports arena and outside of it: head-on.
From 2001 until the Vancouver Paralympic games of 2010, the brothers blazed a trail from podium to podium, medal after medal. In 2011, both were inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame. When an injury sidelined Robin, Brian had other guides and continued winning as Robin moved into coaching. Through World Championships and Paralympics, from Salt Lake City to Turin to Vancouver to Sochi to PyeongChang, Brian will now be representing Canada in stunning sixth consecutive games in Beijing, where he will announce his retirement.
Toyota McKeever brothers Super Bowl spot Photo by Toyota
Toyota McKeever brothers Super Bowl spot Photo by Toyota
Toyota McKeever brothers Super Bowl spot Photo by Toyota
The McKeever brothers have blazed a lasting legacy in Canadian sport. Robin is the national coach for the Para Nordic Ski team, and credits the Own the Podium program for finding more opportunities to promote Canadian athletes. You can check out who Toyota Canada supports here.
When asked what other surprises the McKeever family has in store, Brian laughs.
“My nephew, Robin’s boy. Beats me every time. The kid is so fast, and it’s amazing.” Many will be watching as Brian McKeever competes in his final Paralympic Games in early March. For two brothers, while it is the end of one era, it will undoubtedly be the start of something new.
Let’s go.
Keyword: Toyota Super Bowl ad features Canadian Olympians, no cars