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Roger Bryanton

In July 2000, Roger Bryanton and his wife Cindy were driving to their summer cottage in New Brunswick. Twelve and a half hours into their thirteen-hour drive, their car hit a moose. Roger sustained a spinal cord injury resulting in quadriplegia. After being treated in an acute care hospital for over one month, Roger was transferred to The Rehabilitation Centre (TRC).

When he first entered the doors to TRC, he had no idea what to expect. He was pleasantly surprised to get out of bed, get dressed and begin busy days of therapy five days a week. Through therapy, encouragement from staff and friends and the support of his wife, Roger was making progress in his rehabilitation journey.

Only days after his arrival, he was outfitted with an electric wheelchair, enabling him to be more mobile. His therapy sessions were spent working on his arm movement and relearning how to do everyday activities from his wheelchair. He entered the Centre having no movement in any finger; after a few months, his movement in his index finger and thumb gradually began to return. Roger also spent time in the weight room working on his physical strength. He enjoyed working towards his goals in therapy sessions because it felt rewarding to see progress in his rehabilitation.

while at Rehab, limited movement gradually returned to most of my fingers. Thumb movement only came back a full year after the accident.

During his stay at TRC, Roger shared a room with three other patients with whom he eventually became good friends. Roger’s wife, Cindy, was by his side to support him in every way. She unfailingly visited daily, bringing dinner with her so that they could continue to enjoy eating together each evening.

Roger felt that the nursing staff were just “amazing.” He had the same basic nursing team most of the time, enabling him to establish a relationship and rapport with many of the nurses. He remembers how the nurses would always go beyond the call of duty, and do so in good humour.

Roger had a sense of security at TRC; help was only the push of a button away, and it was comforting to know that there was always someone there nearby. To facilitate his transition into the community, Roger gradually began leaving TRC to spend days at home, then weekends and holidays, before finally coming home eight months after the accident.

When Roger decided that he wanted to drive again, he consulted the Occupational Therapy Department at TRC. A Driver Rehabilitation Specialist assessed his ability to drive and assisted with adaptive driving equipment. Thanks to adaptations made to his vehicle, Roger and his wife continue to enjoy their summer cottage in New Brunswick and are able to share the task of the long drive.

His experience at TRC brought him to volunteer for The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, an activity that he has discovered to be very rewarding and fulfilling. When looking back on his time spent at TRC, Roger remembers how he “had so much fun.” His friends and family would come to visit him and expect to walk into a depressing environment. They were amazed though, upon visiting, at how positive the staff and patients were. The supportive attitudes shown by the staff and his fellow patients gave Roger the drive to reach his rehabilitation goal to achieve greater independence. Roger remains friends to this day with two of his roommates at TRC, carrying these lifelong friendships and fond memories away from his stay at the Centre.