Last year, David Sutton, who is diabetic, developed an infection in his foot. Gangrene set in and he had two toes removed. The infection came back, and a few months later, his foot had to be amputated. In both cases, the surgeries were performed at St. Michael’s Hospital. And in both cases, David was referred to Providence Healthcare for rehab.
Today, as he begins living life with a new prosthetic foot, his outlook is good. And that is, in part, he says, because of the confidence he gained while undergoing rehab in Providence’s Toyota Canada Motor Skills Clinic.
“You face a different world after an amputation, and you need to learn to cope, not just physically but mentally. The Toyota Canada Motor Skills Clinic has helped me do that. It’s a real confidence-builder.”
The Toyota Canada Motor Skills Clinic is a specially designed room at Providence where rehabilitation professionals help their patients prepare for a return to the day-to-day activities we all do, such as walking on grass or gravel surfaces, navigating curbs, climbing hills and getting in and out cars. For patients learning to live as normal a life as possible following an event such as a stroke, a critical illness, an injury or an amputated limb, the clinic provides a supervised, safe and realistic environment where they can practice what they have been taught.
Every year, 1,300 patients and their families access the clinic, as they regain the skills that are essential for daily living and build the confidence that is so vital if they are to successfully reintegrate into their communities.
The clinic was originally launched in 2006 with funding from Toyota Canada. Eighteen years later, Toyota is stepping up again, renewing its commitment to Providence with a gift of $500,000. The gift will allow Providence to modernize the space with lighting that simulates day- and night-time driving, along with advanced, high-definition virtual reality simulations to create an immersive environment for a more realistic driving and outdoor experience.
Dr. Ashley Verduyn, Vice-President of Medical Affairs and Chief of Providence Healthcare, notes that the gift reflects Toyota Canada’s inclusion through physical accessibility commitment. “The new clinic will pave the way to success for our patients by removing some of the major barriers to accessibility,” says Dr. Verduyn. “To say that our rehab team is excited would be an understatement.”
To say that David Sutton is excited would also be an understatement. He credits the clinic with teaching him a new way to think about the challenges he faces, and says he is delighted for all the patients who will be helped, as he has been, in the years to come.
“You know the Toyota ad campaign, ‘Start Your Impossible’? Well, they have allowed me to start my impossible. Thank you, Toyota Canada!”
Interested in supporting leading-edge rehabilitation work at Providence Healthcare? Contact Justyna Jonca at JoncaJ@smh.ca or donate online here.
Donate to St. Michael's Foundation.
