Gold Star Award for Linda

Congratulations to our Gold Star award winner Linda

Linda was diagnosed with spastic paraplegia type 7 (spg7) during May 2021, which affected her ability to walk as well as her standing balance. This limited her ability to access the community especially with uneven terrain, stairs, and crowded environments. She first started coming to ARC during April 2021 and has been working with physiotherapy.

Linda’s condition had a major impact on her daily life as it her affected her ability to climb up and down stairs, to walk on uneven terrain, to perform dual tasks e.g. walking and holding a cup of tea around the house, and she even noticed her lack of confidence with walking in busy shopping centres and attending crowded sport or entertainment events.

Linda has attended a combination of physiotherapy intensives focusing on general strength, mobility, and balance, and weekly Neurobalance and Neurogym classes.

Despite the daily challenges, Linda has persevered and has always brought a sense of joy and fun into the clinic with her love of dance and music. This has not only brightened up my day, but I’m sure the others attending and working at ARC too. I can proudly say that Linda is now attending regular sporting and entertainment events and supporting her beloved Matilda’s! She is also driven to improve her walking endurance beyond 4 km in 2024. Watch this space!

This month Linda has been given a Gold Star Award to highlight her tremendous progress since her first session in April 2021 by being able to continue to access the community in crowded environments and uneven terrain, and she is now aiming to return to part-time and volunteer work in 2024! Congratulation Linda, you are an absolute gem. Keep up the hard work!