People think the biggest moment of my life is when I tell them I was in a 3 week coma, but there were many life-defining moments before that. As a teenager and a young adult. I was extroverted and loved the comradery of team sports. If you could place it in my hand, I could play it It was where my friends were, where I found excitement and meaning. I loved socializing and was a confident, assertive young man, I was especially passionate about volleyball, and if you asked me, I probably would have said my goal was to become a pro and play for Canada. I had so much potential and many saw it. I was so passionate about the body and movement that I enrolled in York University for Kinesiology. Then, one night on the slippery roads a few days before Christmas, my life and my family’s life changed forever. My last memory is driving, and my next was waking in a hospital room from a coma 3 weeks later with my family’s concerned faces all around me.  

 

I survived a numerous amount of injuries. Once awake, my active recovery process could begin. In the beginning, it was me and my wheelchair going to appointments. I worked with physiotherapists, occupational therapists, vision therapists, neurologists, speech language pathologists - if there’s health professional with an “ist” at the end, I bet you I’ve worked with them. Many of my injuries were neurological and musculoskeletal in nature; things like a slipped disk that cause excruciating sciatica, intense back pain that made me compensate with movement (the pain wsa so bad it would wake me up at night and sometimes the sleepless nights stretched on for), weak, stiff, and tight muscles that couldn’t sustain my posture so again - pain, having to learn hand-eye coordination, and emotional turmoil - imagine having to learn to walk again at 21 and being in constant pain. Every day felt like climbing Mount Everest, both physically and emotionally.

 

But this is when the magic really happened. I didn’t want to live knowing that there might have been other options for me other than pain medication or surgery that I didn’t pursue. Because I believed movement is medicine, I thought to myself “How can I make this the forefront and the foundation of my recovery?”. So, with the movement correct therapy, education about my injuries, and being consistently physically active, I have eventually gotten to a place where I live pain free for the most part. Unfortunately, the extent of my injuries cause me to have occasional flare-ups, but I’ve learned the treatment to manage it.

 

So, if you’re currently in pain right now, I really understand how you must be feeling.

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I know the sleepless nights, the torment of constant pain, and how it chips away at you emotionally.

I know the frustration of not being able to do what you once did so effortlessly.

I know the longing for recovery, and the doubt that it will ever be achieved

Will this pain go away?

Is this the way my life is now?

When can I get back to just living normally or will this be new normal?

 

I’m here to give you hope in the darkest of days. I’m here to give you something to look forward to, to be excited for. To remind you that you are stronger than you think and that healing can be possible.

 

While my life or health isn’t the same as it used to be, in many ways I’m also much stronger physically and more emotionally resilient than before.  This journey propelled me into Chiropractic medicine - I knew I wanted to use movement and hand on care to change people’s lives, especially those with head, neck, and back injuries. My experience has gifted me with intense empathy and understanding for the pain my own patients struggle with and motivates me to help them live a thriving, pain-free life.

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