Our first community contributor to CortreeTV is Nadine Grant-Noad, an SCIO community member living in Ottawa. In her video, she showcases a variety of assistive devices and aids that she uses for daily activities. Her positive and joyful persona is also a highlight of the video.
Nadine was in a car collision about 10 years ago. Her husband and two young children were all in the car. Nobody else was hurt, but Nadine sustained a C6 Spinal Cord Injury. She was in her late-30s with two young children aged three and seven and facing a new life and new way to live.
Nadine has always been a very positive and upbeat person. Even though it was extremely hard in the beginning, she was grateful for being alive. Her faith helped her believe that something good would come out of her loss and she would make the most out of every circumstance. Being a choir leader in her church, she often filled her hospital room with songs of praise. Her positive energy was infectious even to the hospital staff. Her strength and resilience sustained her husband and the rest of the family in those darkest months.
After rehab, Nadine returned home. At first, it was hard being dependent on others for almost every task of daily living. Not being able to physically take care of her young children was troublesome for her. They were her biggest motivation. She took one day at a time. After researching and purchasing various assistive devices designed for people with disabilities, she was able to relearn how to do everything in her power wheelchair. Gradually, she became more and more proficient in doing what she used to do prior to the injury and along the process, she had totally moved on from her physical loss.
Nadine has always been a very positive and upbeat person. Even though it was extremely hard in the beginning, she was grateful for being alive.
Nadine first heard about CortreeTV from FYI on SCI, SCIO’s monthly e-newsletter. After reading about it again in the Summer 2020 edition of Community magazine, she decided to make a video sharing her experience and her positive spirit. Her children have witnessed her entire journey. They are very supportive of what she does. Her now 17-year-old son is the camera man and her 13-year-old daughter also helps with other technical parts of the production.
It’s their hope that the viewers would be inspired to reach their physical potential by becoming more independent and continue to contribute at home and in the community. It can start by picking up a mop or folding a basket of laundry.
To watch Nadine’s full video, become a Cortree member at sciontario.org/cortree.
We are so glad to have Nadine being part of CortreeTV and we look forward to having more community contributors use the platform. If you have a smart phone, then you already have the only equipment needed to film a video. If you need support with video editing or if you need help brainstorming your idea, please reach out to us at [email protected].
By: Spinal Cord Injury Ontario | Fall/Winter 2024
