Nic, a sports psychologist, suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side and with aphasia, a disorder that affects his ability to communicate. Through his unwavering determination and rehab at Foothills Hospital and ARBI, Nic has made remarkable strides in his recovery. As he and his family prepare to leave Canmore and move to Norway, we wanted to highlight his inspiring story in his own words. Nic recently spoke at an ARBI event, showcasing his ongoing commitment to improving his speech. Here’s Nic’s story in his own words.

My Stroke

Hi everyone,

My name is Nic, and I am a sports psychologist. I had a stroke on the left side of my brain four and a half years ago. I was paralyzed on my right side. Also, I have aphasia, a speech disorder. The words don’t always come out like I want.

In August 2019, my wife, Steph, and I were driving across the country to move to Canmore. We stopped at a cafe in North Ontario, and she went in to order some lunch. Suddenly, I felt strange. I got out of the car and walked towards the cafe. I almost got to the door, but I collapsed.

I don’t remember anything until I woke up from surgery almost a day later.

Steph was very scared. The ER doctor in the little town was very new and did not know what was happening to me. It took ten hours to get me to a hospital in a larger town.

The doctor told my wife that there was nothing he could do for me. She insisted, so he called a doctor in Toronto for help. They flew me to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. They did another scan of my brain and decided to operate on me. Dr. Victor Yang did surgery to remove the blood clot in the left side of my brain.

I woke up in the critical care unit. I knew Steph and my best friend George were there. The doctors watched my brain activity very closely, looking for signs of swelling. That would mean more surgery. Thankfully, I didn’t need it. My father and his wife arrived, and I was so happy to see them.

I had a tube through my nose down to my stomach. After two days, I was done with the tube, and I just pulled it out. I was holding it proudly over my head as a sign of VICTORY! They never put it back in.

I left Toronto after ten days. I flew on a Lear Jet to Foothills Hospital. I felt like a SUPER STAR!

The next day, I got to see my kids again. Ebba was eight, Kaisa was twelve, and Tobias was fourteen years old. I was so happy to see them again… I had almost died…but now I was back.

And so started my rehab journey at Unit 58.

I had a few speech therapists. I did OT with Teresa, PT with Erica, and Rec therapy with Lisa for four months. I got to go home on weekends to spend time with the family. At Christmas, I went home for good.

To celebrate, Steph bought tickets to the Flames game against our home team, the Montreal Habs. The Habs won!

It was amazing to be home. I had a lot of visitors—my parents from Montreal, and my dear friends Runar and Glyn, and Marit from Norway. Steph’s family from Quebec also came, and my best friend George came very often.

I started Nordic skiing on snow in the new year. I had done some roller-skiing with the PTs in the hallways of the Foothills. But now it was the real thing. My friend who coached the Nordic para team came with me. It felt so good to do my winter sport again.

In January, I started more therapy: speech, OT and PT. Then COVID hit. I had to do all my rehab on my iPad. Zoom was okay, but in-person is better!

That summer, our family went on a three-day rafting trip on the Kootenay River with five other families. We camped by the river and ate all together. I was still weak on my right side, so it was hard to eat and sleep on the ground, but it was a lot of fun!

I found a group in Calgary that rents adapted bikes. That summer, I rode a three-wheel recumbent bike. We went on the 1A a lot as it is closed to cars in the summer. I was back to my SUMMER SPORT!

I also found Rocky Mountain Adaptive and went kayaking, mountain biking, and alpine skiing with them. I also work with a personal trainer, Susie, two times a week. She is still helping me get stronger.

In October 2020, I started at ARBI. At first, I was doing physio and OT (with Sharon) and speech therapy. That’s when I met Erika! I love all the staff I worked with at ARBI, they are very dedicated and generous.

They quickly decided that my physical rehab was done and stopped the physio. I kept working with Sharon on my arm and hand for a little longer, which was great! She helped me a lot. After ten months at ARBI, I joined the Speech program so I could continue to see Erika. I also joined the Peer Connect program at ARBI last fall. This is a group of people with aphasia.

I try to encourage others to BELIEVE in themselves. I started in a wheelchair and then worked on walking… now I am driving and going for three-kilometer runs! I did a 100-kilometre bike ride last summer! I am still improving my speech EVERY DAY!

After the stroke, I had trouble making sounds. Now I am back to speaking French and English well, and I’m working on getting Norwegian back!

What helped me? Keeping MOTIVATION since day one. I have one hundred percent confidence that I will completely recover… ONE DAY!