Life and Limb

“You don’t have to conquer the world; you just have to conquer your world,” says Andrew Haley. His is a story of a Halifax kid with a 35 percent chance of survival becoming one of Canada’s most accomplished high-performance athletes. Andrew shares what motivated him from his cancer diagnosis through the loss of a leg above the knee, and onward toward four Paralympic Games and five trips to the Paralympic podium as a medal-winning para swimmer.

Tom Williams started STAND (formerly Legs for Africa) after a trip to The Gambia more than a decade ago. It was there where he met a gentleman in need of a prosthetic limg, a leg lost to diabetes. Tom sourced one for him, and 10 years later his organization has rescued and recycled over 18,000 prosthetic legs for others in need across sub-Saharan Africa. Listen to his remarkable story of humanitarian impact.

Megan Williamson is the head fitness coach at Ocean Rehab and Fitness in Vancouver. She’s also the head instructor for the North American Council of Inclusive Fitness and co-author of a resource called Breaking Barriers: Fundamentals of Training Clients with Physical Disabilities. She’s all about bridging the gap between rehab and fitness, making exercise inclusive for everyone no matter what. Megan shares strategies for achieving better health for anyone living with limb loss or limb difference.

Courtney Gilmour is an award-winning stand-up comedian, television writer, and finalist on Canada’s Got Talent. She is one of Canada's most unique voices and sought-after comedy talents, named by NOW Magazine as “one of the top 10 stage artists to watch.” Courtney's victory at the 2017 Just For Laughs Homegrown competition was the first by a female comic in the 19-year-history of the event. Her first album - “Let Me Hold Your Baby” – was JUNO-nominated, and she’s just released her new “Wonder Woman" album – which is a really funny take on life as a triple limb amputee when it comes to public perceptions that come with her unique disability.

A musician, writer, broadcaster, Christa Couture is proudly Indigenous and queer and a lower extremity amputee since childhood. She loves to share stories that intersect with disability, and is now the host of Season 5 of the AMI travel docu-series “Postcards from...” featuring a different Canadian city each episode. Her career's work has explored experiences of loss, which include several unimaginable ones in her own life.