Dear editor:

I would like to share my story in hopes of celebrating this community’s goodwill.

Over two years ago, I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré shortly after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

It has left me partially paralyzed and is expected to alter my life for a period of no more than three years, I can assure you that I am well on my way to recovery.

For this chapter, I am not living in my own loft at College and Bathurst but staying with my mum in NOTL, doing a lot of physiotherapy, rebuilding my confidence and paying it forward by volunteering with the local community with Newark Neighbours.

Through some very intense workouts at the Brock Fully Inclusive Training Program with Joel Neufville, I was able to lose the electric wheelchair.

With the assistance of James Lavoie, national regional manager from the BTS Network, I was finally able to donate my wheelchair to For The Needy to The Greedy.

Thank you NOTL, be very proud.

Steve Pitkanen
NOTL