carolyn.pioro

After a month in intensive care at the Toronto Western Hospital and another two weeks in a ward, Carolyn moved to the Lyndhurst Rehabilitation Centre. In Carolyn’s case, rehab doesn’t mean learning to move or walk again; it means learning to direct her care so that she can live as independently as possible. She has learned how to use various accessibly devices, from a wheelchair controlled by head switches to a computer managed by voice-recognition software and an optical mouse. Still, things are difficult. Carolyn’s whole life was motion: waitressing, dancing and performing in the circus. Though paralysis hit in an instant, coming to terms with its effects could take years.