Peer Connection with Lisa and Kyra

SCI Sask Peer Mentor, Lisa, decided a few years ago that she wanted to give back to a community that had supported her through many life changes. She sustained a SCI as a teenager, and contributes a good portion of her resiliency and acceptance to peers, both formal and informal, that she has encountered along the way. When she was approached by SCI Sask and asked if she was interested in taking the formal certification to be a peer mentor she didn’t hesitate. She has been an invested volunteer, bringing ingenuity, compassion, quick wit, and humour as some of her best mentoring qualities.

Kyra was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis in the fall of 2022. Symptoms are caused by an inflammation in the spinal cord, resulting in weakness, paralysis, and other systematic dysfunctions that are consistent with spinal cord injury. She spent a few months of recovery time in Saskatoon City Hospital Rehab, where she was connected with SCI Sask. She learned of the Peer Mentorship Network while in the hospital, but decided to request a mentor after returning home. She believed she could use the support while navigating her way with her new circumstances.

Kyra shares that she was definitely ready and actually eager to have a peer mentorship connection. Kyra candidly stated what she was seeking was to be connected to a community, and relatability, someone who would understand.

After meeting with Lisa, Kyra feels better connected to community and joined the SCI Sask Peer Mentor Women’s Circle. With a smile, Kyra says she really enjoys “humour, and Lisa’s sense of humour”. When she’s having a bad day, she can talk to her peer mentor, because sometimes a little humour is the best way to deal with a disability related situation.

Lisa and Kyra’s full story is available in our SPRING 2024 PARASCOPE Magazine, pg. 14.