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- Samuel Tilden
Samuel Tilden
Just like the other 'guy'
When you are 12 years old and an active young boy, you dream of playing hockey, just like all your classmates. Samuel Tilden is not any different.
The youngster already skies at Mont Avalanche. He has been swimming since the age of two. He practices kayaking, sailing and cycling. And recently, he added hockey to his long list. Sledge hockey, of course, since the Pointe-Claire youngster lives with spina bifida. The disease deprived him of the use of his legs since birth. Sam loves hockey
, says his mother Amy Dhindsa. Sledge hockey lets him be a part of the clan of hockey lovers!
Samuel discovered the sport thanks to his physiotherapist and through the AVIE program (a Viomax initiative) he was able to give it a try at Centre de réadaptation Lucie-Bruneau. I love that the sport is fully adapted and accessible. I can go all out
, explains the sixth grader at Clearpoint Elementary. I am lucky because I can count on Steves to teach me a bit.
Steves, is Steves Léonard who has been playing sledge hockey for over 20 years. The Saint-Jérôme resident gets involved with the young ones. He guides them in the discovery of the sport. It is an inspiration to see him on the ice with us
, Sam recognizes, and that from one who certainly holds his own in the area of inspiration.
An example? Samuel is always at the forefront of the Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion activities in his town. In 2008, he saw to the design and the preparation of a play area adapted for all children, in wheelchairs or not. I will be able to play unaided and with the other kids
, he said at the time. However, renovations to the aquatic complex next door have halted development of the park, but Sam is still hopeful.
It is however at the heart of his family cocoon that Sam plays his most important role. Sam is special in a million ways
, his mother stresses. I love his joy and the enthusiasm he demonstrates each time he tries something new. I admire the grace with which he faces and takes up the daily challenges of his life. He is my heart, my spirit, my love. All that wrapped up in a small twelve years old!
To meet Samuel is to win.
