"I know she'll do something amazing."
At two years old, Trinity already shows herself to be lively and determined.
Determined may be an understatement. She was walking at eight months.
As an infant, Trinity was a happy and healthy baby. Then one day, everything changed.
At 14 months, Trinity fell on the floor for no apparent reason and became paralyzed from the neck down.
It was a devastating time for her mother, Amy. At first she was told that Trinity would not improve. She was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord.
Amy can't imagine what they would have done if Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital did not exist.
Trinity spent the next six months as an inpatient at Holland Bloorview, where Amy stayed with her for four months and then commuted between the hospital and home, which is two hours away for another two months.
It was at Holland Bloorview that Trinity celebrated some incredible milestones.
Amy recalls vividly the first time Trinity moved her arm. Two long months since first arriving at Holland Bloorview, after weeks of treatments and therapy sessions, Trinity simply reached to pick up a toy, her mother says, "like it was nothing!"
That small action represented something much bigger: Hope. Amy now dared to think that more improvement would come.
Progress did follow, most of it slow, but then another tremendous milestone: a nurse came into Trinity's room and found her sitting up. "After that, she sat up all the time. She loved the big reaction she'd get," Amy laughs. It was a major turning point.
"It made us think that maybe things wouldn't be as bad as we’d thought at first," Amy recalls. "Our fears from the beginning were that she'd have no independence and would need complete care. We didn't know if she'd be able to read or write. It was terrifying for us."
Currently, Trinity remains paralyzed from the waist down. She is able to move her arms freely, and loves colouring and building with her blocks. She can crawl on her elbows, pulling her legs behind her and uses a wheelchair. Her ability to communicate is unaffected, in fact, she's already speaking in full sentences and can read her own name.
"Our dreams for her aren't that different from what they were in her first year," says Amy. "We want her to do all the normal childhood things as much as possible, and I feel very positive about her future. I believe she'll find a way to contribute. I know she'll do something amazing."
