Sam Keane is a former Grandview Kid’s client and current Grandview Kid’s employee working on the Family Engagement Team as a Peer Navigator. He has Spastic Triplegia Cerebral Palsy and during his time as a client accessed many of Grandview Kids’ clinical services. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy enabled him to achieve independent walking as an adult, no longer requiring the use of a wheelchair or walker. Sam also participated in many of Grandview Kids’ social programs that provided him the opportunity to meet others going through similar journeys. Children and youth with physical, communication and development needs face differing social challenges which, as a result, can affect mental wellbeing. With Grandview Kids’ help, he learned to accept that due to the fluid nature of mental health there would be both good and bad days. “I wouldn’t be here without Grandview Kids,” recalls Sam. He discovered that bravery would be what kept him going, despite the naysayers.
These resources helped Sam achieve many personal goals and accomplishments as he transitioned from adolescence to adult life outside of Grandview Kids. His many feats include receiving a Sports Administration Diploma from Durham College, working for Ontario Tech University’s Women’s Hockey Team as Equipment Manager, and travelling to Scotland and Denver alone. Travelling opened a new world of self-discovery and taught him about the power of determination. Throughout his two-week trip to Scotland, he stayed in multiple hostels while having to figure out the transit system. Many of his friends and family saw the trip as insane, dangerous, and frightening; even Sam had his doubts. “Why would I travel on a plane across the Atlantic Ocean by myself am I crazy? Did I have any idea how difficult that is for anyone let alone somebody with Cerebral Palsy?” he himself questioned. Yet, here he is, now planning more solo adventures across the globe. “The Grandview Kids programs brought me to where I am today – travelling the world without fear. I am well on my way to living my full potential.”
Today, Sam is a Grandview Kids’ Peer Navigator, offering invaluable lived experience and knowledge to the Grandview Kids Adolescent Transition Program (ATP). Supported by a grant from TD Bank Group, the ATP fills a gap in support and resources to families that are aging out of the paediatric system. It is “an honour to have the opportunity to give back to an organization that has done a lot for me,” says Sam. This is a program that he would have greatly benefited from during his own adolescent transition. The ATP will provide both tangible, step-by-step support and engagement for both youth and their families during a time that can be socially and mentally taxing. Being able to “pass this knowledge on to the next generation is huge and something I want to be involved in. I can be a mentor to these kids and help families be able to walk through the difficult transition,” Sam proudly claims.
