In 2012, Benveet Gill was on holiday in Las Vegas when a virus paralyzed her from the waist down. “I had the most excruciating pain in my low back,” she said. Doctors diagnosed her with transverse myelitis, an autoimmune disorder in the spinal cord. Since then, she’s co-launched ReYu, an Edmonton-based not-for-profit promoting neurorecovery; and become an advocate for changing attitudes around disability.

“One of the reasons why we opened ReYu is because I went through so many of my dark times alone, and that’s very scary. And I don’t want anybody else to have to go through their dark times alone … It’s incredible to see when you believe in somebody, and you give them hope, and you give them the tools they need, how they blossom.” – Benveet Gill

Photo from ReYu Paralysis Recovery Centre via Facebook.