World Teen Mental Wellness Day – March 2

Sam Keane is a former Grandview Kid’s client and current Grandview Kid’s employee working on the Family Engagement Team as a Peer Navigator. He has Spastic Triplegia Cerebral Palsy and, during his time as a client, accessed many of Grandview Kids’ services, such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, alongside a variety of social programs and activities. These resources helped Sam achieve many personal goals and accomplishments throughout his journey as he transitioned from adolescence to adult life outside of Grandview Kids.

His feats include working for the Ontario Tech University’s Women’s Hockey Team, where he achieved his dream of working within the field of hockey as an Equipment Manager. Sam’s duties as an equipment manager include overseeing the hockey team’s everyday operations such as laundry, prepping the dressing room for practice and games, filling the player’s water bottles, sharpening skates, and other duties requested by the team. He is extremely grateful for the coaches, trainers, and hockey team who contribute to the honour and pride that he receives from his job.

Sam went on a life-changing experience to Scotland, learning about the power of determination and self-discovery. Throughout his two-week trip, he went to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee and Inverness, staying in multiple hostels while having to figure out the transit system. Many of his friends and family saw the trip as insane, dangerous, and frightening; even Sam had his doubts. “Why would I travel on a plane across the Atlantic Ocean by myself am I crazy? Did I have any idea how difficult that is for anyone, let alone somebody with Cerebral Palsy?” he asked himself. Despite the concerns Sam and his loved ones had, everyone was excited about the journey that he was about to embark on.

Sam’s trip to Scotland gave him the confidence to venture out again. He recently took a trip to Denver, Colorado, to see his buddy, Ryan Johansen, an NHL hockey player who plays for the Colorado Avalanche. Sam’s friendship with Ryan began at Grandview kids in 2015. Three days before he was scheduled to undergo a major orthopedic operation at Sick Kids Hospital, Grandview Kids’ adolescent office at the Abilities Centre was set to have its grand opening in collaboration with the SmileZone Foundation. Sam had been nominated by Grandview Kids to represent the organization and deliver a speech about his experiences as a Grandview Kids client. At the time, the spokesperson for SmileZone was James Neal, who played for the Nashville Predators and happened to be one of Ryan’s teammates. Sam and James ended up becoming friends, and he eventually got invited through Grandview and SmileZone to a hockey game to see James take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sam would text James before every game to wish him good luck, and his friendship with James led him to connect with Ryan. He would send Ryan gameday texts as well, which eventually developed into a friendship like none other. As Sam reflects on his journey with Grandview Kids and monumental life experiences. “Those two guys gave me a friendship which would change my life, and I could not be more grateful. Thanks for a great time in Denver, bub. For a kid who wasn’t supposed to survive birth and then was never going to walk, with the support from Grandview and phenomenal parents by his side the whole way, I would say he’s done rather remarkable and well on his way to achieving his full potential.”