Under the Mennonite Heritage Village’s (MHV) steamer shelter, surrounded by hundreds of classic cars, were two people with a stack of their recently published photographic book. They are on a mission to help solve the mystery of Parkinson’s disease.  

When the pandemic hit, Steve Van Vlaenderen of Winnipeg, who has Parkinson’s, was left wondering how to spend his time. That’s when his partner, Darlene Hildebrand, planted an idea. Years later, the photo book Vanishing Wheels was born.  

“He'd always been a hobbyist photographer he's very creative, and I suggested, ‘Well, why don't you go out and take some photographs?’ thinking, well, he'll take photographs of sunsets or landscapes. No, he's always been a car guy. In his 20s and 30s, he raced cars, and like so many guys, he just loves cars,” Hildebrand recalls. 

With cars in mind, Hildebrand says Van Vlaenderen remembers seeing decaying vehicles along the side of the road and started photographing them. As the year progressed, he became more invested in the craft. Their photographic trip ended up becoming a 16,000km journey across western Canada.  

“In June of 2021, we got in our motorhome and just started in Manitoba, just south of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, and a fellow there gave us an opportunity to take photos of his cars, then gave us the name of the next guy in Brandon. We just spent three months going from place to place based on leads from guys who own cars or knew where some of these old gems were lying in fields and barns and the bush,” she explains.  

Vanishing Wheels Book1950 Morris Cowley truck on the cover of Vanishing Wheels.

All proceeds from the sales of Vanishing Wheels are donated to Parkinson Canada. It is a hardcover, 125-page book filled with photos of decaying cars and writing to pair with it. Hildebrand says she is “amazed” by the support from the public, especially those who have Parkinson’s or know someone who is affected by it.  

“They want to support because they also know that Parkinson's is a very unfair disease,” she says. “We don't know the cause, so there is no cure. Actually, it's very much like these old cars. People with Parkinson's slowly vanish because as their Parkinson's gets worse, they're just not able to get out. So, you just don't see them, and so often people will say, ‘Oh, well, I saw you out and about. Well, your Parkinson's can't be that bad.’ It's not when you're still in the earlier stages, but as it gets worse, you just stay at home and sort of vanish like these cars.” 

Many others have also thanked Van Vlaenderen for his efforts to capture the vehicles as it serves as the “last remembrance.” 

“We would just ask the people to be aware and to support our cause for Parkinson's because we would also like to say that there are probably more people out there with Parkinson's than you realize because it is the nature of the disease. You don't die of Parkinson's, you die with Parkinson's,” she explains. 

For more information about Parkinson’s Disease, visit the resources on the Parkinson Canada website. Learn more about Van Vlaenderen’s book, Vanishing Wheels, here.