It began with something every parent has done a dozen times: buying a drink at the food court of a local mall. Moments later, Kathleen Shiels' world changed forever when her son, Coltyn, five days shy of his second birthday, was struck by a large metal cart and suffered permanent brain damage. "My son went from being a walking, talking two-year-old to the level of an infant," Shiels says. Overwhelmed by lights, sounds and touch, and prone to punishing headaches, Coltyn would sometimes have screaming episodes that lasted for days. "I knew I had to dry my tears and pray for the courage to get through a very rough road." Before her son's injury in 2001, Shiels had been a preschool teacher and basketball coach in Vancouver. Now she's turned her talents to fighting for her own family and others like it as a full-time activist for people with disabilities. Shiels admits the lioness in her comes out when she's lobbying the government or speaking to the media about the everyday obstacles faced by families living with disabilities. But at its heart, her work is about celebrating abilities. "In my house, can't is the ultimate swear word," she says with a laugh. She's helped put together a CD of music written, performed and produced by people with brain injuries. She's launching a website (aftermathconnection.ca) with disability resources and advocacy tips. Last year, she gathered a team of able-bodied and disabled rowers to represent Canada at an international race in Hawaii. "Once you're in that boat, it's true equality because you can't tell who's in a chair and who's not." Shiels says her activities - and there are so many that she sleeps just two to four hours a night - are a way of sharing her expertise. But they're also an attempt to take back control after Coltyn's injury transformed her life. "After what happened to my son, I thought I had lost everything. What I ended up gaining was the true meaning of unconditional love." Chosen charity: Western Society for Children |
