Triple amputee Samuel Seehower hits the ice in a charity hockey marathon

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Born with a congenital amputee, meaning he had underdeveloped arms and one leg, 19-year-old Samuel Seehower was honored to drop the puck as a shadow referee at the fourth children's hockey marathon.

He's participated in every hockey marathon, including the 2022 marathon, which earned him a Guinness World Record for the longest hockey game in the world. This year, the marathon will aim for 262 hours, or approximately 11 days of continuous play, all of which will break its own record to raise funds for cancer research.

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Samuel believes it is always important to help people if you can. He said that watching the marathon support and raise money for children in need is something he enjoys.

“They have been playing for 11 days. I can go live anytime,” Samuel said. “If I'm in class, they're playing hockey, if I'm driving, they're playing hockey, if I'm sleeping, they're playing hockey. It's good to remember the sacrifices they made for the children.”

He said he was happy to take part in the opening game as a shadow referee.

“It was very special to skate with all the people. It’s always good to be able to participate in any way,” she said. “It's a lot of fun too.”

From Cambodia to Calgary

According to Samuel's adoptive mother, Charlotte Seehaver, Samuel's journey had a rough start, having been born and abandoned at birth in Cambodia, as people with any abnormality are considered bad karma in some parts of the world.

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After nearly a month in the hospital, Charlotte said she was transferred to a government orphanage in Cambodia, where she happened to volunteer.

“When I walked into the children's room, the floor was full of all these little ones, and I saw Sam – he was the smallest – and I picked him up,” she said.

“It broke my heart to see these children.”

After a month helping care for children at an orphanage, she returned to Calgary and told her then-18-year-old daughter and her husband, Mark, “We've got a baby.”

Charlotte later returned to Cambodia and after a long process – involving both the Canadian government and Cambodia – she was able to bring Samuel to Canada in 2005.

“If I see it and want to do it, I'll give it my all”

Fast forward to 2024 and now 19-year-old Samuel is a sophomore at the University of Calgary, with future plans for a master's degree in business. He plays men's league sports including hockey, soccer and football.

He uses a prosthetic leg but has always refused, saying he doesn't like prosthetic arms.

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“It wasn't natural to be honest…you need legs to walk,” he said. “I had to do a lot to get a weapon, and getting another arm would make me have to learn everything all over again.”

He can type about 150 words per minute, which he attributed in part to his affinity for computer games.

“If I see it and want to do it, I'll give it my all.”

“Samuel always had to prove himself”

One of Samuel's biggest challenges over the years is that others don't believe he can do it, Charlotte said.

“Samuel always had to prove himself, not being accepted into sports or social activities,” she said.

He was the first multiple amputee to be accepted into the Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps when he was 12, but Charlotte said he wasn't allowed to join at first.

After moving up the food chain to Ottawa, he was able to join restrictions such as bans on skydiving, handling explosives or firearms.

According to Charlotte, the latter did not stop Samuel for long.

“In the summer, all the cadets from everywhere go to Vernon, and there are over 3,000 cadets, so you can't keep track of every single one of them.”

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When it was time for the shooting range, Charlotte said Samuel could “come home” and the firearms restriction was lifted.

“He just had to do what society thought he needed to do – you had to have ten fingers and ten toes.”

Samuel said he understands that words may not be strong enough to overcome the doubts of some.

“You have to prove that you can do it somehow, because sometimes people have to see it to believe it,” he said.

The Kids' Hockey Marathon has been going on since the puck dropped on April 5 and is expected to continue until April 16. For more information or to make a donation, visit hockeymarathon.com.

— With files from Scott Strasser and Michael Rodriguez

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