About us
About Steve Van Vlaenderen
Steve Van Vlaenderen was involved in car racing in his 20s and 30s and has always loved cars. To him, the automobile is a triumph of the human spirit and its drive to create and to connect. So it’s no surprise he combined his passion for cars with his love of photography when confronted with the question of “What to do now?” when the Covid-19 pandemic and, later, advancing symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, curtailed his continuing work on the passion project he had created – Sail on with Parkinson’s – an endeavor which saw Van Vlaenderen and his partner Darlene sail their 31 foot Niagara sloop Cloud on the open waters of the Great Lakes to raise awareness for the disease. Van Vlaenderen shifted gears and channeled his enduring drive into a new mantra: “no matter what.” Vanishing Wheels was born.
Steve Van Vlaenderen's "Vanishing Wheels"
Fully retired and facing the realities of the pandemic I needed to find something to occupy my time. I had a passion for photography which had taken a back seat to other interests in the past. My return to photography and a much loved hobby was combined for my enthusiasm for cars brought me to get and do something with my time. In the fall of 2020 I start to take short trips driving up and down Manitoba’s roads looking for abandoned vehicles that I could photograph. As I looked through the view-finder I suddenly realized that each of these relics has a story to tell, they had a history and I could bring them back and showcase their past and present. Thus Vanishing Wheels was born.
I decided to publish the photobook “Vanishing Wheels” in support of Parkinson’s Canada to fight this terrible disease, another passion of mine.
Sail On for Parkinson’s
In 2018 Steve and partner Darlene completed their first leg of their sailing journey with Sail On with Parkinson’s. After his diagnosis in 2011 Steve decided to sail his sailing boat across Lake Winnipeg, and travelled 1,400 km on Lake Superior and Lake Huron all while raising money for Parkinson’s Canada. The journey continued in June 2019 where Steve and Darlene took a two and half month sailing journey through Lake Erie and Lake Ontario raising money to fight Parkinson’s. Steve wanted to continue to not only raise money for Parkinson’s Canada to fight this terrible disease but to also inspire others living with the disease that they can live a full and active life.
Body Building
In 2011 Steve was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease which is a nervous system disorder that can cause slurring of speech, stiffness and is well known to cause tremors. After his diagnosis he decided to take up body building as a way to fight off the effects of the disease. After 18 months training and completely changing his lifestyle and habits Steve competed in the Manitoba Amateur Body Building Championship in Winnipeg. It took a lot of discipline and control to hold the poses and to control the muscles considering having Parkinson’s. Steve was hoping to inspire others with the disease and get the message out to people with Parkinson’s to take charge of you health and your disease.
