Patient Stories - Grace Elliott

“Toronto Rehab is my safe haven. They made me feel like my potential was unlimited.”

“Dancing with the Cancer Fairy,” is how 75-year-old Grace Elliott describes what she’s been doing since 1987. The expression is a great indicator of how on and off bouts with the disease have failed to dampen her spirit.

Her latest battle with breast cancer resulted in lymphedema, a condition causing abnormal and painful swelling in her left arm. That brought her to Toronto Rehab’s unique oncology rehab service, and Grace soon learned she was in very good hands.

“It was an optimistic place. They didn’t just tell me what I was going to do, they were interested in knowing what my goals were, and they helped me reach them.”

Grace wanted to regain her strength and mobility, as well as her sense of well-being. She focused on her rehabilitation and continued what she learned in the program at home every day.

It was hard, physical work. But as Grace recalls, “When you see the staff work as hard as they do, you just want to keep it up.”

After a year of intense outpatient rehabilitation, Grace determinedly reached her goals. Though her ambition had always been to regain her mobility, Grace appreciates Toronto Rehab for seeing more than just her health problem.

“I was never just a swollen arm to them. I’m a whole person, a fighter, and was treated accordingly.”

One in two of us will be touched by disability. At Toronto Rehab, we’re revolutionizing rehabilitation, because rehabilitation saves life.

Your support of patient care can assist in improving the facilities and equipment and support innovation to help patients rebuild their lives, restore their independence and discover their own potential.

Grace is one of several patients who are sharing their stories in our public awareness campaign that shows how rehabilitation saves life.