Mom spearheads fight for rehab services

Four years ago, a car crash permanently changed Will Castor’s life. The 28-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury that required a long recovery as he worked to relearn skills many [...]

Mom spearheads fight for rehab services Says son was doing well at First Steps Wellness Centre before it shut down To continue reading, please subscribe: Digital Subscription One year of digital access for only $205* - Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com - Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper - Access News Break, our award-winning app - Play interactive puzzles To continue reading, please subscribe: Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional $1 for the first 4 weeks*

Four years ago, a car crash permanently changed Will Castor’s life. The 28-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury that required a long recovery as he worked to relearn skills many people take for granted, such as eating, speaking and getting out of bed. A key part of that journey was First Steps Wellness Centre, a Winnipeg rehabilitation facility, where Will worked with therapists to regain independence and connect with others facing similar challenges.

But on June 5, financial constraints forced First Steps to close, leaving families without the specialized therapy they had come to rely on. Now, Will’s mother, Cheryl Castor, is leading an effort to get those services back. “This is a story of hope,” Cheryl said.

“We could have given up and thrown the towel in when we got that email (saying it had closed). But nope, I was not going to let that happen. It’s too important; you see what it means to people.”

First Steps is a specialized non-profit organization that provides intensive, activity-based therapy for people who have spinal cord injuries and neurological impairments, such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and stroke. “When (Will) first went there, he wasn’t sitting up very well on his own,” Cheryl said. “He’s doing that now, like no problem.

He couldn’t get in and out of bed on his own. He does that now. They do exercises that are creating neural pathways, neuroplasticity, where the brain is going to remember those actions.”

With First Steps closed in Winnipeg, Manitoba no longer has a long-term rehabilitation centre that offers this type of specialized activity-based therapy. Raynald Dupuis, a volunteer board member with First Steps, said the closure was not due to the lack of need, but rather the financial challenges of operating the Winnipeg location. Dupuis said it had high overhead costs after another organization sharing its rented space moved out and First Steps was unable to find another tenant to help offset expenses.

The location had staffing challenges and was being managed remotely from Regina, which created additional pressures. First Steps locations remain open in Regina and Sherbrooke, Que., and Dupuis said the Regina centre supports the effort to bring the program back to Winnipeg. “We had a client who was told, ‘Why are you wasting your time at First Steps?

You’re wasting your time and money; you’ll never walk again,’” Dupuis said. “And guess what?

He’s starting to walk again with a walker. So that’s impressive; that’s incredible. Part of it is the therapy, the physical part; part of it is the social-emotional support.”

Although Will continues to receive physiotherapy and his family helps with other therapeutic exercises at home, Cheryl said nothing has replaced what First Steps offered. “It’s a community where we all support one another, and we all understand,” she said. “It’s not just about the therapy; it’s about the whole social thing for people with disabilities.”

She said having a brain injury can be very isolating and leaving the house to attend First Steps gave Will, and others, a sense of community they now miss. Cheryl has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $100,000 toward opening a new rehabilitation facility. The money would help purchase specialized rehabilitation equipment, secure a facility and create a space where former First Steps clients could continue their recovery.

As of Friday, the campaign had raised just under $5,000. Cheryl, Dupuis and five others have formed a volunteer board to work toward reopening the centre. The group is organizing additional events, including a used-purse sale and a fitness fundraiser at 55 Fitness, to help raise money for the project.

“We have to do all those renovations, so not cheap. We are all volunteers. None of us are getting anything out of this other than getting the joy of helping these people,” Cheryl said.

“I feel very urgent about it because I don’t want these guys to be without their therapy very long.” Find the fundraising group’s GoFundMe at gofundme.com/f/new-manitoba-rehabilitation-centre zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca