Angela Horner received the best Christmas present ever in December 2000: she returned home to stay after almost two years in hospital.

In January 1999, she suffered two cardiac arrests and a massive stroke. During close to two years at Toronto Rehab - first on the stroke unit of the Neuro Rehabilitation Program and then in the Complex Continuing Care Program - Mrs. Horner learned to speak again and regained some use of her paralyzed right side. With the help and support of nurses, speech language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, Mrs. Horner made considerable progress, and continues to do so at home.

"My watchword is practice. With it, I continue to make progress. I see it all the time. My friends also see the difference and that's very encouraging."

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As a teenager, Leslie Bolt suffered headaches and seizures as a result of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the right side of her brain. After investigating a range of treatment options, it was decided that surgery was the only solution. Soon after the difficult 20-hour operation, Ms Bolt experienced a cerebral hemorrhage and lapsed into a coma for several weeks.

Two months after her operation, Ms. Bolt was admitted to the Brain Injury Service at Toronto Rehab - first as an inpatient, then as an outpatient in the day hospital. "It's important to be optimistic, to remain focused and work hard," she says. "I put all of my energy into my recovery. And, I'm getting better every day."

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