Sam and Blair (Haliburton, ON)

By Blair Williams 

Living in Haliburton, I used to dive off my dock countless times. On Canada Day, 2006, I took a midnight swim. Only this time, I was not informed that they were draining the lake to feed another local lake. The change in the water level was enough to alter my life forever. I heard my neck break. I was lying face down in the water telling myself to flip over onto my back and take a breath – that’s when I realized I couldn’t move my arms or legs… 

In ICU, I was connected with others with spinal cord injuries, through Canadian Paraplegic Association (CPA) Ontario. They helped me through my deepest despair and hopelessness. 

Gaining strength from their support and encouragement, I began my recovery and I reset my goals – one being to live up to my promise to my 5-year-old son, Sam, and go skiing together in the winter. 

My dream became a reality. I was able to experience the thrill of gliding down a snow-packed mountain with Sam, by using a sit-ski – a modified ski for people with physical disabilities. I felt I was able to teach a valuable lesson to my son – that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.  

A spinal cord injury can happen to anyone in an instant. There is approximately one spinal cord injury a day in Ontario. 84% of injuries happen to people under the age of 34. Prior to 1945, only 10% of people who experienced a spinal cord injury were expected to survive beyond one year. 63 years after the founding of the Canadian Paraplegic Association the survival rate of an individual who sustains an injury is 85-90%. 

Please consider the barriers people with spinal cord injuries face in your community and know that your actions do count. There’s not a lot of difference between you and me. Things can change in an instant.