Katie’s Art to Recovery
“Basically, it was like starting from zero. Like ‘started from the bottom now we’re here’.” - Katie
Katie felt like her world turned upside down when she lost the ability to move, speak, and eat independently. Before her first brain bleed she was a typically healthy teenager with a passion for arts – especially when it came to Hamilton the Musical and RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The following years were challenging, with multiple seizures and brain bleeds leading to multiple hospitalizations. Throughout her late-teens, Katie was an inpatient at Holland Bloorview numerous times, over many months. But what always meant so much to her was how the hospital incorporated her interests and passions into her rehabilitation goals.
The Art of Healing
When Katie first arrived, she couldn’t speak or move independently, but that didn’t mean that her creative muscles weren’t holding on strong. Knowing how central creativity is to Katie’s sense of self, Shannon Crossman, artist and coordinator of Holland Bloorview’s music and arts respite programming, would visit her bedside to do rediscover her love for art when she couldn't make it to the Scotiabank Creative Arts Studio.
“Once I could be wheeled downstairs, I would want to visit Shannon, and we would continue work on the water colour painting. I made a garden of flowers by the end of my stay. Every time I would go down, always make one line,” shares Katie.
When her mom Bridget reflects on her daughter’s care, she is incredibly grateful for the time and patience of the staff. She believes that each return to Holland Bloorview made Katie stronger, helping her find her way back to the things she loved most and reclaim her independence as she transitioned into adulthood.
A year after Katie’s last inpatient stay she participated in The Independence Program –where youth learn life skills and practice living independently for two weeks in the summer. Katielearned important skills like how to ride the subway with a mobility device and how to stay on budget. But even more than the hard skills she learned, what Katie appreciated the most was the opportunity to connect with other young people with disabilities.
“Often times you won't be around people who will understand. It’s difficult to find someone to talk to about your experience,” Katie shares. “To be able to spend time with people who are also wanting to meet new people and gain friendships was very cool.”
Coming Full Circle
During her stay Katie deeply connected with Holland Bloorview's advocacy campaigns and their message that everyone deserves to be seen and represented in the media. This connection inspired her to launch her own podcast, DC Unseen, after she started at Durham College. The podcast’s first six episodes chronicled her personal journey from diagnosis to recovery, including the challenges of transitioning into adulthood.
"Without Holland Bloorview, I would not be where I am, period, you know?"
Today, Katie's life reflects how far she's come - attending Durham College, hosting her podcast, and still rapping along to Hamilton. For Katie, everything came back full circle. Each time she returned to Holland Bloorview, she didn't just get stronger physically - she found herself again and discovered a meaningful path to healing that honored the person who she is inside and out.
