Matthew Loring has been given another reason to smile – and to be proud of himself.
The 39-year-old paraplegic has been declared a recipient of a 2012 BC Rehab Foundation award.
Loring, who was paralyzed in a swimming pool accident last June, is one of eight individuals who “have demonstrated incredible fortitude and determination in reaching their rehabilitation goals and regaining personal independence despite the challenges of living with a physical disability,” reads an email Loring received last Wednesday.
It was sent to him by an occupational therapist in the GF Strong Spinal Cord Injury Program, who congratulated him on his “well-deserved award.”
“It’s pretty cool, there’s only eight people getting awards,” Loring says, noting he plans to be in Vancouver for the May 16 award ceremony and is hoping to take his family with him.
Another reason to smile is the mobility provided by a wheelchair that was funded by the British Columbia Hospitality Foundation (BCHF) and the BC Paraplegic Foundation.
Loring says he had not been aware of the hospitality foundation prior to his accident.
“My physiotherapist tracked the info down and gave me an email address and I did the legwork,” he says, pointing out the chair arrived about three weeks after he returned home.
“It’s a smaller chair and I get around easily, under tables and counters. It gives you a lot more personal freedom – and you get exercise.”
Loring is still hoping to find a way to get cardio workouts and would like to get a hand bike for exercising in his apartment.
“I do all the same things an unemployed person does to keep busy – homework, research on my Ipad,” he says, pointing out every task can take a while to complete. “It’s like when you have a child you have to plan… it’s just like that, except I am the child.”
Loring, who has worked in the hospitality industry since 1990, mostly as a cook, is grateful to the hospitality foundation and the BC Paraplegic Foundation.
Formed in 2006, the BCHF is a charitable organization dedicated to providing financial support to individuals within the hospitality community who are coping with extraordinary costs arising from a serious health crisis.
Since its inception, the foundation has expanded to also award scholarships and bursaries to students enrolled in hospitality programs.