If you ask 10-year-old Alessio about his favourite soccer move, he’ll happily explain how to do a bicycle kick.
“It’s when you’re in the middle of the air, but you do a backflip and kick the ball into the net,” he says. He’s been playing soccer since he was two, and the first time he tried the move, he hadn’t even practiced it.
Now, Alessio is getting ready to take on another sport: baseball.
More than getting into the game
This summer Alessio joined an inclusive baseball program in his community and, unsurprisingly, had his sights set on the best part.
“I like hitting home runs,” he says.
Getting ready for his first season is what brought him to Holland Bloorview. Born with a limb difference, Alessio came to the hospital for a prosthetic baseball mitt that would help him play different positions and get in on the entire game.
And, of course, Alessio made sure it looked good, too. His prosthetist let him choose the design, so he went with red and blue.
With his new prosthetic, Alessio could focus less on how he was going to participate and more on playing the game. And while it may have started with baseball, what he gained from his care at Holland Bloorview has meant much more to him.
“It changed my life,” he says. “I got prosthetics that will help me do things I can’t do without them. It’s given me confidence and hope.”
That feeling extends beyond what Alessio can do on the field. There’s something else he values about being at part of the hospital community: being around people who understand his experiences.
“I like the people,” he says. “I see people like me.”
A new generation of advocacy
For Alessio’s mom Andreia, who has the same disability as her son, bringing him to Holland Bloorview feels especially meaningful. She was a client herself as a child and later became an ambassador.
“When I was at Holland Bloorview as a kid, I had a doctor and I was an outpatient like Alessio,” she says. “So, it’s a full-circle moment.”
But accessing specialized care hasn’t always been easy. The family lives far from Holland Bloorview in a community where Andreia says disability-specific resources are limited. She had to advocate for Alessio’s referral so he could access the specialized prosthetic and occupational therapy care he needed.
That’s why, through Together we Dare, Holland Bloorview will invest in cutting-edge technology to bring the best care possible to kids with disabilities everywhere. Printing, 3D scanning, and AI modelling present the opportunity to produce more cost-effective prosthetic devices, offer mobile clinics and provide hybrid care options to remote communities, reducing barriers to access that many children face. And according to Dr. Andrysek, an engineer and scientist who leads the PROPEL Lab, this could close gaps to care for kids with disabilities, no matter where they live.
“You could imagine where we could, with just a very simple scan through an everyday smartphone, combined with predictive modeling, essentially build the prosthesis here without the child even having to come to the hospital at the early stages,” Dr. Andysek said in an interview with Globe & Mail.
Daring to speak up
Now, Alessio is finding his own voice as an advocate. Following in his mom’s footsteps, he’s becoming a Holland Bloorview ambassador. His first order of business: use his voice to spread awareness about Together We Dare, advocate for himself and others.
“I dare to stand up for myself when I get bullied for my arms,” Alessio says. “I advocate for myself and tell my teachers what I need to be successful. I dare to advocate.”
That’s the spirit of Together We Dare. It’s about creating a world where every child has the tools, support and community they need to participate, belong and advocate for themselves.
For Alessio, that means using his voice and helping other kids know they can use theirs, too.