Micah-Élie’s testimonial

The REA Foundation: Essential help

I was recently one of 15 people to be awarded a $3,000 scholarship from the Fondation RÉA. Since the annual scholarship program was launched in 2021, twenty-seven people with a motor, language or sensory disability have been able to pursue their studies.

I have Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Due to this degenerative disease, most of my muscles are growing weaker by the day. This causes serious complications in all of my limbs and vital organs. The consequence? I always need someone to help me perform my daily activities. And because I can’t get around easily, my interactions are more difficult.

Access to care and technology

The REA Scholarship Program has enabled me to purchase equipment, such as adapted pants, a transfer sling for emergencies, and a more ergonomic desk. Beyond the financial aspect, this scholarship, above all, is encouraging me to pursue and complete my bachelor’s degree in 2024 in robotic engineering at Université de Sherbrooke.

Without REA and without institutions like the Institut de réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal and the Centre de réadaptation Lucie-Bruneau, people in my situation wouldn’t have access to optimal care. They provide access to well-adapted technologies, enabling users, for example, to get around using a motorized wheelchair. Personally, their research activities are helping me now, and will surely help me down the road.

The specialized employees who work there are a blessing. The truly lighten the burden of a disability for users and their families. I feel like I was blessed by being so quickly surrounded by effective and positive specialists. What I’ve been able to accomplish was possible thanks to my faith.

Your donations to the REA Foundation are a source of hope, making it possible to help more and more people, who, in turn, give back to the community. It’s another step toward achieving a more equitable society.

Micah-Élie Labrecque, 22 years old, student in robotic engineering at Université de Sherbrooke