One Step at a Time, Together

When Edna and TJ first arrived at Lakeridge Health’s Oshawa Hospital after their strokes, they were each facing a recovery journey they never imagined. 

At Oshawa Hospital, Edna and TJ began the difficult work of recovery through Lakeridge Health’s Integrated Stroke Unit, part of the Medicine Program. With support from nurses, physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and other care team members, they started rebuilding strength, confidence, and independence one step at a time. 

There were hard days, emotional days, and a lot of uncertainty. 

“When I first came in there, I was discouraged, depressed, mad,” says TJ. “Just wondering why this happened to me, and how I’m going to get better.” 

Then, from his wheelchair, he saw Edna walking through the halls. 

“I asked the nurses who that lady was,” TJ says. “I told them, ‘I want to get like that.’” 

At the time, Edna was working hard on her own recovery. With support from the team, she was building strength, practising her walking, and learning how to manage the changes caused by her stroke. 

“I got fantastic nurses,” she says. “I couldn’t ask for better. There was nothing they would not do for me.” 

Soon, Edna and TJ began talking outside their rooms. Then they began walking together. Before long, the two were doing laps through the hospital once, twice, sometimes three times a day. 

“I guess we just became friends,” Edna says. “I would have never expected it.” 

Their friendship quickly became part of their recovery. 

The pair encouraged each other through mobility milestones, therapy sessions, and the daily work of getting stronger. When Edna tried a new walker and loved it, she called it her “Cadillac.” When TJ saw it, he wanted one too. 

“He said, ‘I want one like hers,’” Edna laughs. 

Together, they became known around the hospital as “the dynamic duo.” 

Once they were well enough to go beyond their unit, Edna and TJ fondly remember heading downstairs on coffee and Boston cream donut runs to Tim Hortons. 

There were also quiet moments of understanding that only someone on a similar journey could offer. 

TJ says his stroke made him more emotional, and that having someone nearby who understood made a difference. 

“She helped me through a lot of stuff,” TJ shares, adding that it meant a lot to have someone like Edna in the hospital who understood what he was going through. 

For Edna, TJ’s friendship was just as meaningful. 

“It wasn’t one I expected,” she says. “He was in the next room at the hospital, and then we just kind of got together.” 

When it was time to leave Oshawa Hospital, Edna was scheduled to be discharged on Tuesday. TJ was supposed to leave the next day, but he changed his discharge date so they could walk out together. 

Staff gathered to clap them out as they left side-by-side. 

“There were a lot of tears,” Edna says. “It was a nice memory to have.” 

Their care continued through the Ambulatory Rehabilitation Centre's (ARC) Neurological Rehabilitation Clinic at the Whitby Hospital, where teams helped them build on the progress they made. There, Edna and TJ continued working with physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and other rehabilitation team members who supported their recovery goals. 

For both of them, that continued care mattered. 

Edna is quick to praise the teams who supported them at both hospitals. 

“They’re excellent. Every one of them, there and here,” she says. “They’ve really made my journey a lot easier to cope with.” 

Throughout their journey, Edna and TJ were supported by teams who understood that recovery is not only physical. It is also emotional, social, and deeply personal. 

“Edna and TJ’s story is a reminder that person-centred care is about seeing the whole person – and the programs, teams, and connections that help people heal,” notes Amy Maebrae-Waller, District Stroke Coordinator and Patient Care Manager of the ARC Neurological Rehabilitation Clinic. “The care they received helped them move forward. Their friendship helped them keep going.” 

Today, Edna and TJ are still working on their recovery. Through ongoing rehabilitation, they continue to focus on strength, mobility, and independence. TJ is especially motivated to keep improving so he can drive again — and when he does, he already has plans. 

He wants to pick Edna up for coffee, take her on small road trips, and keep making new memories together. 

They are also hoping to reconnect with other stroke survivors they met along the way, creating more opportunities to talk, share experiences, and support one another. 

For anyone going through a similar recovery, TJ has simple advice. 

“Be patient,” he says. “Be positive and talk to people.” 

Edna agrees. Recovery takes time, she says, and many people do not realize how long the journey can be. 

“You just have to be patient and just try and get through it,” she says. “Keep working at what you’re doing.” 

For Edna and TJ, healing has happened through care, determination, and friendship. 

Learn more about Stroke Care Services at Lakeridge Health at lh.ca/strokecare.