Determination To Walk Again Earns Edmonton’s Eric Abrahamson A Glenrose Courage Award

Nearly 3 years ago, Eric Abrahamson woke up 1 time and couldn’t walk. Doctors recovered an infection successful his spine.

“I was wholly paralyzed from my waist down,” Abrahamson said.

“I ended up getting room that opened up my backmost and past they recovered retired my spine had been deteriorating truthful they had to rebuild it.”

Abrahamson was told he would ne'er locomotion again and was sent to nan Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital to thief him study nan skills he would request while utilizing his wheelchair.

“I conscionable forced myself to not deliberation that way, that I would beryllium stuck successful that chair,” he said. ” I kept reasoning that if I conscionable support moving connected it someday it would travel backmost and 1 time it did.

Abrahamson went from utilizing a wheelchair to standing.

“Even opinionated was hard,” he said.

He past took a fewer steps, and yet moved from utilizing a walker to stepping poles to stepping independently.

“Once I stood up, past I took a step, past a mates of much steps,” he said. “I kept moving difficult done nan pain.

But he pushed done and his determination inspired his therapists.

“He really exceeded our expectations,” said Oline Okholm, a therapy adjunct astatine nan Glenrose. “From 1 convention to another, we could spot that he had improved because he had been moving truthful difficult astatine home.”

“I deliberation arsenic therapists, we thin to effort and beryllium cautiously optimistic,” Asya Shiloff-Rogers, beingness therapist, told Global News.

That determination, and a desire to link pinch different patients, has earned Abrahamson a 2025 Glenrose Courage Award.

“Even successful nan hallway erstwhile he was stepping and retired of activity and struggling, if personification he knew aliases recognized that was different diligent aliases a unit personnel passed by, he would opportunity like, ‘Hey, person a awesome day,’ aliases if it was a patient, he’d say, ‘You’re doing truthful good, you look great,'” Shiloff-Rogers said.

Abrahamson said he wouldn’t beryllium wherever he is coming without nan unit astatine nan Glenrose.

“If they would person conscionable sent maine location successful my chair I astir apt would person conscionable stayed successful my chair,” he said, crediting nan Glenrose pinch helping him “push done nan pain.”

Abrahamson will beryllium honoured pinch a Glenrose Courage Award connected Nov. 4.