Cindy Ouellet among Canadian Paralympians on mission to impact medical field

Cindy Ouellet is determined to build herself a new hip.

The six-time Paralympian, who will soon begin her PhD in Neuroscience at Laval University, intends to create a prosthetic that is more technologically advanced and comfortable to wear than her current build.

Oulette is among a handful of Paralympians on a mission to impact the medical field. All of which are paving a new path in the industry as they seek answers on their own diagnoses, develop unique solutions, and defy expectations of their capabilities.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of people that can say, ‘hey, I made my own leg,'” Ouellet told CBC Sports.

Ouellet, whose left pelvis and left femur were surgically removed after her bone cancer diagnosis at age 11, has been wearing the same hip prosthetic ever since. Now, she says the 20-year-old prosthetic is beginning to fall apart, creating a sense of urgency in the project.

According to Oulette, the current prosthetic hips are not as advanced as they could be.

“They are still very mechanical. There’s not a lot of people that have half of the pelvis amputated like me, so there’s not a lot of research,” Oulette said. “But to me, it’s personal.”

With her sights set on LA 2028, Oulette also aims to build her new hip within the next three to five years. She’s motivated to not only improve her own quality of life, but to better the lives of others in the same position.

“To actually have a leg will help in everyday life for sure. If I can get a few more years of walking, I’ll take it,” she said.

Borgella inspired to pursue opthamology

One province over on the University of Ottawa campus sits Bianca Borgella, a fourth-year student of Neurology and Biomedical Sciences, fresh off her Paralympic debut at Paris 2024.

Her own visual condition, Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), motivates her to become an expert in the field.

“Why not? I want to find cures for different eyesight. I always wonder, how does it feel to see 20/20?” Borgella told CBC Sports.

LCA is a condition that affects a baby’s retinas at birth, causing loss in some, or all eyesight. With this rare condition, Borgella’s eyesight has been gradually improving over time, which is uncommon compared to the decrease in vision that others experience.

She aims to understand these differences, and in doing so, potentially find ways to help others regain or stabilize their own vision loss.

“Who else can talk about my disability?” Borgella said. “It’s kind of like researching myself and knowing more about my vision.”

Borgella is intent on being one of the first practicing ophthalmologists with a visual impairment.

“Our disability doesn’t define us. It doesn’t stop us from achieving what we want to do. We also want to make an impact.”

Hanes no stranger to breaking barriers

In 2017, Julia Hanes disclosed her disability to medical school and was told to not show up in-person on the first day.

“They felt that I would not be able to participate,” Hanes said, who acquired a disease called hemiplegia at age 17, which causes paralysis on one side of the body.

“I was provided a list of 200 items on an Excel spreadsheet that I had to demonstrate that I would be able to do with my limitations.”

Despite the barriers she faced, the 29-year-old, who comes off an appearance at the 2024 Paralympics, where she competed in shot put and javelin throw, is now in her fifth year of physical medicine and rehabilitation residency through the University of British Columbia (UBC).

In addition to her athletic and academic feats, Hanes advocates for improved accessibility in medical schools. Notably, she has worked to update the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s technical standards, which are the physical, cognitive, and behavioural abilities required to complete the program, to better welcome students with disabilities.

Thanks to the efforts of individuals like Hanes, Paralympic wheelchair rugby player Joel Ewert is just starting his own medical school journey, but his experience is already showing promise.

“You never want your disability to come in front of your dreams and for me at this point, it hasn’t. I’ve been accommodated every step of the way,” Ewert told CBC Sports.

Ewert, who is in his first year of the UBC Northern Medical Program and has dreamt of becoming a doctor since the age of five, said that his accommodation needs for cerebral palsy were strongly affirmed from the initial admissions interview. 

“It’s important to support the student, instead of putting the burden on them to come up with their own accommodations or ask tough questions,” Ewert said. “To have those barriers already broken down for you is amazing.”

Accommodations such as having the beds lowered in the anatomy labs have made the classroom experience much more equitable for Ewert as he sets out to achieve his professional dreams.

“If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life, right?”