My good friend Janine Gibson (formerly Janine Fairlie) has bravely battled the effects of a devastating stroke she suffered in December 2022. It’s been a struggle she’s met with resolve, optimism and an irrepressible sense of humor. She’s now able to walk with a cane and can manage short stretches without it during her frequent physical therapy sessions at Toronto’s Variety Village. Her left arm remains stubbornly immobile and spasms in the muscles are often painful, though periodic Botox injections provide some relief.

That’s not all life has thrown at Janine in the last decade. She went through a difficult, four-year divorce and during it lost her beloved mother, Jean, in 2019. These years have been tough for her and her son, Gareth, who’s been her rock through it all. From the first scary post-stroke days in the hospital, rehabilitation and ongoing therapy, Gareth has constantly been by his mom’s side, protecting her health, and her dignity. Together they find humor that lightens the mood when things get dark. Janine giggles when he calls her Shuffles or Igor.

Janine is an East York/Toronto beaches girl to her core. Those of you who knew her in high school at East York Collegiate will remember that easy smile and those sparkling eyes. When I reconnected with Janine in 2024, I told her I’d recognize her anywhere, she looks just the same. I laughed when she told me I could walk right by her on the street, and she wouldn’t know who I was. That honesty and her kindness haven’t waned in the intervening years.

Her recovery has forced her to dig deep into the retirement savings she put aside from decades of work as a paralegal. When she told me she hoped to attend a special stroke rehabilitation program — it’s revolutionary and, of course, expensive — in South Carolina this August, it seemed sensible to reach out to her friends, family and work associates for some assistance.

The two-week program of therapy is being offered for the first time in North America by a European organization, brain.rehab (info ). The essence of the treatment is trying to engage the part of the brain most affected by stroke through synchronized exercises and body mechanics, like arm swing, that we all take for granted but are key to co-ordinated movement and walking. Like babies learning the first instinctive movements toward crawling, the brain.rehab therapy seeks to stimulate broken neural pathways and encourage new ones. The two principals behind the therapy are Arjan Kuipers and Linda Radestad. Linda is a stroke survivor herself and an inspiration to Janine. Linda suffered two strokes in 2016. Like Janine, her left arm and leg were affected, and she had the additional complication of aphasia, which affects the ability to speak. It took her six months to begin to be able to speak again. Linda wrote a book titled Stroke Rebel , and she’s given TED Talks about her journey and thoughts about therapy.

Janine is committed to taking part in this unique opportunity to improve her mobility and independence — for herself, and for Gareth to balance his own aspirations with his commitment to stand by her. Meeting her hero, Linda, will immeasurably boost her confidence in the journey ahead. The program costs $15,000 American ($23,000 Canadian); travel and lodging are roughly another $5,000 Canadian. It’s a lot. I worry about her traveling alone to South Carolina. It’s just too expensive for Gareth to accompany her and he’s got to look after Huey, their rescue cat. Once Janine gets there, she’ll join 19 other stroke survivors living their own recovery stories. That community and all that it has to offer will help her.

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A bit about me. My name is Michael Robertson. I now live in San Jose, California, with my wife, Juli, and lots of cats. Last year I spent 13 weeks in Toronto with my family saying goodbye to our mom, who was in hospice care. The funeral home that handled arrangements for us had also made arrangements for Janine’s family and it was kind enough to reconnect us. Janine was my high-school girlfriend and first love. My mom loved her very much and I wanted Janine to know that she had thought about her in her last days.

In the end, life seems to be a circle. I’m glad Janine is a friend again. I’m proud to have met her amazing son, Gareth. I hope you can help them. Thank you.

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Janine Gibson is the sole beneficiary of your donations and they will help fund the two-week, special rehabilitation program in South Carolina which begins on August 4th, 2025. We'll post an update after the trip which may be helpful to any of you who have family members dealing with similar stroke impacts.