TORONTO, ON—When Dale Sweeney headed to the Eaton Centre in search of a gift for his son's karate teacher's dog, he had no idea he'd never make it back to Vaughan. In fact, he'd never even make it inside the mall.

On an unseasonably warm November morning in 1999, Sweeney wrenched open the east-facing door of the building. Moments before the cumbersome door slipped from his hand, he regrettably made eye contact with a man on crutches hobbling towards the entrance.

An onlooker had this to say: "He was holding the door open for himself and I could see a guy on crutches in the distance. I thought, no way was this guy gonna wait for him. But he did. It took like ten minutes."

The man on crutches finally limped through the doorway and gave Sweeney a big thumbs-up. Sweeney was free. But indeed, it was a moment too late: a group of children were piling out of a school bus and the teacher had her sights set on Sweeney's door. He nodded, his foot firmly planted at the base of the door. This was their door. They could count on him. And that's when Sweeney slipped into the vortex.

Minutes turned to hours, hours to days, weeks to years — the endless parade of shoppers, dogs, and terrorists did not let up. The people kept coming, and so Sweeney's door remained open.

Prior to this incident, Sweeney had been known for his impeccable vision. It wasn't uncommon for him to spot a person 150 feet away and keep the door open for them.

One of Sweeney's neighbours had this to say: "I wasn't surprised when I heard about what happened. Dale was so polite. He had a severe allergy. I think it was peanuts. If you'd offer him nuts he'd eat them to be polite. I'd seen him go into anaphylactic shock a few times. That was Dale."

He had a severe allergy. I think it was peanuts. If you'd offer him nuts he'd eat them to be polite. - One of Sweeney's neighbours

No one in Sweeney's family could convince him to come home and eventually, they were forced to adapt. They celebrated a family reunion beside the Eaton Centre door as well as a baptism for his niece, Stephanie. All the while, Sweeney continued to hold the door open for a never-ending crowd of unappreciative Torontonians, his sense of duty deepening with each passing year.

Sweeney died last Thursday in the midst of holding the door for a group of people protesting wheat. Mr. Sweeney's case baffled the medical community. Never once did he leave his door for a meal or to sleep. He survived on politeness alone. Currently, his corpse is acting as a doorstop. His family insists this is what he would have wanted.

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