If you are looking for a heartwarming story this season look no further! Sharon Thomson a local artisan maker sews special sleeves for bows and mugs with loops, so people with nerve damage in their hands can still lift and move their crockery in a safe manner. She calls them “Bowl Cozies.”

Sharon first came up with the idea when trying to help her daughter, a quadriplegic and a manual chair user, to be more independent while serving hot food and beverages. When she saw how useful it is for her daughter, she started making these and giving them out to others who might need them. 

Sharon goes to various shops in Calgary and picks up scraps of materials or buys her own to make those wonderful gadgets that are handmade with 100% cotton. But that's not all, she also knits scarfs and hats to give out to SCI-AB clients. A not very well-known fact, but many quadriplegics cannot regulate body temperature, resulting in a risk of overheating or getting too cold, making Sharon's work even more crucial. 

Sharon, the mother of a quadriplegic, injured 17 years ago, knows these facts all too well. When she remembers when her daughter was discharged and she brought her home, she says: "I brought home a little ragdoll..."

Fast forward 17 years, and her daughter, Brandice Lorch, an SCI-AB's Client Service Coordinator in Calgary, and well known as the founder of the "Wheel Girls Group" during the pandemic, lives a full and independent life. When asked why her mom spends so much time making all these things and for free, Brandice smiles and says: "Because she is amazing!"

Sharon tells the story of her daughter and her own journey as a mom and a caregiver multiple times a year, when she connects to parents of newly injured. While it does not hurt less, and she still tears up remembering how the doctors wanted to disconnect Brandice from the breathing machines, it does get easier, she admits. 

One thing that she remembers to this day is the song she sang to her daughter day and night, until she woke up from being in a medically induced coma: "Kumbaya..." Years later Brandice told her mom: "No more Kumbaya, mom." Sharon laughs at the thought that her daughter woke up just so she will stop singing. “She was gifted to me twice, and the second time she taught me about life,” Sharon says, “I learned to concentrate on the ‘hows’ and not the ‘can’ts’. Everything can be done, it’s just a matter of how.” This and many other heartbreaking and joyful moments keep Sharon determined to help anyone she meets.

On behalf of SCI-AB's staff, clients, and board of directors we would like to thank Sharon for her dedication, kindness, and time- we are lucky to have volunteers, such as you!

Photo captions: Above: Sharon is displaying her handmade Bowl Cozies/ Below: [left] a quadriplegic is holding a bowl cozie with a bowl inside/ [right] Sharon is sewing the bowl cozie using a sewing machine.

As a CAPCC coordinator, I work with many clients that live in long-term care facilities. Within the program’s guidelines, we offer support and companionship to the residents so they can experience life outside the facility. For example, in June, Bob (name changed to protect client's privacy) shared with me and his care professional his dream of flying a plane. I wasn’t sure if that was something we could do for him, but he was so eager and excited that I promised to try.

It took us a month to get the information required but eventually, the outing was approved, and Bob was one step closer to flying a plane. Bob and I made a plan and found a provider to make this dream happen. We worked closely with Bob’s care professional and arranged private transportation to Edmonton Flying Club. The weather turned out great on the day of the scheduled outing, and Bob was very excited.

Once on the plane, the pilot greeted us and asked if we had a flight plan. Bob threw out some ideas of where he’d like to go, and the pilot nodded in agreement. Before we knew it, we were sitting in a plane, gazing at the green plains, flying over Bon Accord and finally watching Edmonton from far above, which was the best view of them all! I glanced up at Bob, and the happiness on his face said it all. He was over the moon, and I was so glad we could make this happen for him.

The care professional said: “I can confidently say that Bob had one of the best days he’s had in a long time, and we both will remember this day forever.”

Bob, his care professional, and I would like to thank the Community Access Program, funded by Alberta Government, for providing us with the opportunity to make our clients’ lives better.

Photo caption: An Edmonton Flying Club plane is waiting for Bob to board.

The Client Service Coordination role in the Grande Prairie Region is well illustrated by our support of client and volunteer, Michelle Sutley. Michelle knew me as someone she could go to for a number of years before her occupational therapist suggested that she come to the office of Spinal Cord Injury Alberta. She was so surprised to see me there!

Michelle disclosed that she was bored and lonely. Her computer was a problem, her volunteer placement had been terminated, and her favourite hangouts demanded that she have a caregiver, even though she was independent during the day. Michelle had only the computer and the corridors of the shopping mall to keep her occupied. After some heart-to-heart talks, she set goals to determine her own needs, to access adapted computer equipment and to develop leadership skills in conjunction with community development activities.

We found financial support for the Origin Headmouse with soft-type and Dragger software, a new version of Dragon Naturally Speaking, and she received a new computer from her parents. The Grande Prairie office became a meeting place for Michelle and other volunteers to improve their skills.

We talked about socializing as independent persons with many abilities. Michelle held her first public speaking engagement during the 2016 local event for International Day of Persons with Disabilities, introducing a film about equal opportunity in education. Michelle became involved with the Wolverines Wheelchair Sports Association and with the SCI-AB Peer Group Socials at the bowling alley. Michelle became an enthusiastic volunteer for the Chair-Leaders Enabling Access event, and with staff support, attended public awareness events, and consultations on accessible transportation and sidewalks within the city. Michelle made a presentation to the City Council members regarding necessary improvements to new sidewalks that she could not navigate, and developed her skills as a self-advocate. 

The City asked Michelle to trial their new adapted voting station and she joined the Accessibility Advisory Committee of Grande Prairie. Michelle learned about committees and now she collaborates with others to develop the agendas, to lead monthly meetings, and shares her experience in a way that empowers the listener to have a wider understanding. Michelle, who always had a healthy self-image, has learned that effective leaders do ask for help, and she is confident in her role on the City of Grande Prairie ad hoc committee for the Barrier-Free Business Matching Grant.

Michelle and I enjoy a comfortable relationship. She stops by the office to talk about her challenges and to celebrate her successes. I am so very proud that she met her goals, and she is happy with the option of Service on Request. Michelle has achieved full community participation, and in 2021 proudly accepted the Excellence in Public Awareness Award from the Premier’s Council of Persons with Disabilities.       

Photo caption: Mieke [left] and Michelle [right]. 

Kiesha Mastrodimos is very well known in the spinal cord injury community, as she says, “The 18-year-old girl that hit a moose.” Stories like Kiesha’s engrave in one’s memory hope and love through adversity. She is a self-advocate and speaks openly about her experiences as a person with quadriplegia and a power chair user on her Youtube, Facebook and Instagram channels.

However, not until recently did Kiesha share one of the most intimate and fragile sides of her personality—her passion for drawing, which started in the hospital after the accident, and that continues to this day. Kiesha’s drawings allow her to express some of the most vulnerable aspects of her life. Often, one will encounter an intricate spine drawing with an injury, overlapped with roses, or a butterfly springing to life from a sketch. She finds it therapeutic and empowering - "I have a full control over it," she says.

In the very beginning after the accident, Kiesha called her drawings 'chicken scratch', so she had to figure out what she can do with her hands without the finger function, and how to adapt so she can pursue her passion. With time and persistence, her hand got more steady and she no longer needed any aids, "I taught myself to draw... had some frustrations, but I figured it out," she says. In addition to that and despite her accident, Kiesha loves moose; she often draws them and collects their figurines.

She confesses that moving from a small town in Northwestern Alberta to Grande Prairie and eventually to Calgary changed her life. She found a new apartment, a new job, and a new love. And recently, after designing bookmarks for SCI-AB, Kiesha got the confidence and decided to take her art to another level. She created an entire colouring book collection that allowed her to interact with people with spinal cord injuries across the country.

Watching Kiesha draw is mesmerizing; her lines are accurate and her hand is steady, when she is hunching over the paper. She laughs, remembering how doctors didn’t think she would be able to move her arms at all, “look at me now,” she smiles, “Now- life is beautiful!” 

Photo caption: Kiesha with the bookmarks she designed for SCI-AB and her new colouring book.