Getting his life and his autonomy back

And yet, Nicolas Steresco thought nothing would ever be the same again

On April 15, 1998, a little motorcycle outing changed my life forever. At the time, I was pretty reckless, and I lost control. The result was a severe head injury and a fractured left tibia and fibula.

After four months in hospital, I went to the Institut de réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal (IRGLM). This is when my rehabilitation began and I was given a new lease on life. For more than nine months, I had to relearn everything! I was lucky to be surrounded by my family and friends, but also by amazing specialists and professionals.

I’ll forever be grateful to Alain Godbout, the physiotherapist who helped me regain my mobility and, above all, my motivation. And of course, Nancie Brunet, the occupational therapist who helped me relearn how to do everyday things.

“Thanks to the experts who accompanied me, I was able to develop a positive outlook on the future.”

After my stay at the IRGLM, I spent over a year and a half as an outpatient at the Centre de réadaptation en déficience physique Lucie-Bruneau, where I continued my rehabilitation. I was once again surrounded by extraordinary specialists like neuropsychologist Eduardo Cisneros.

He guided me in accepting my accident and my new condition—which was the hardest part—as well as mourning the end of my old life. Thanks to him and the experts who worked with me during my rehabilitation, I was able to develop a positive outlook on the future. For instance, my kinesiologist, Linda Parent, helped me learn how to walk again, how to get around and cope with my new physical condition.

“I was lucky to be surrounded by my family and friends, but also by amazing specialists and professionals.”

Today, in spite of the after-effects on my mobility (I use a manual wheelchair or walk with the help of two canes over medium distances), I am almost entirely independent and I practice adapted sports activities such as biking and downhill skiing.

Thanks to the support and excellent care I received at the Institute, I was able to mourn the loss of my previous life and fully accept my new life in which I have done extremely well despite the initial poor medical prognosis both cognitively and physically. After my rehabilitation, I really wanted to give back to the people who had helped me so much, by giving my time as a volunteer. Since 2010, I have been chairing the IRGLM’s Users’ Committee and I collaborate as a patient partner and advisor-trainer with students at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal.

Your donations to the REA Foundation are vital in ensuring that users can continue to receive superior-quality, cutting-edge care. Your contribution helps give them a chance to return to a full life!

Nicolas Steresco
Cranial trauma following a motorcycle accident – 1998