Hear Tom Wilcox share his emotional story. (Video: UHN)
Tom Wilcox was doing what he loved when he was injured on the job in Brantford, Ontario.
Wilcox doesn't remember much from the industrial accident. He knows he was rushed to Toronto Western Hospital for emergency brain surgery. He knows he woke up without movement in his left leg and had difficulty problem solving and multi-tasking.
He needed rehabilitation to get back to his life.
When he awoke at the hospital, post-surgery, his 12-year-old daughter, Natalie, was at the foot of his bed.
He asked her, "Are we going to beat this thing?"
She said, "Yes, dad."
Natalie is his motivation to get better.
After Wilcox recovered from his successful surgery he was transferred from Toronto Western to Toronto Rehab.
On the Toronto Rehab's Brain Injury Unit, Wilcox was welcomed by a devoted team crucial to getting him back on his feet and learning how to multi-task and problem solve again.
"After my injury, I feared the unknown," said Wilcox. "I needed to make my life livable again. My Toronto Rehab team has been selflessly dedicated to improving my skills and function. "
Physiotherapist Aylee Fox saw his determination every day. "Tom is an incredibly determined man. He tried something 10 times to achieve his goal and always asked for the hardest option."
Wilcox returned home to his daughter and life in Brantford in October 2012.
"I have so much gratitude for my therapy team who has given me the greatest gift – the gift of life," he said.
