“We’ve had a lot of people that have come four or five times now that just keep coming back and really enjoy my class,” says Kristi.

During the class, people sit in a circle and choose a topic such as colours, animals or job titles and everyone takes a turn contributing to the list of words for that topic. Anyone who wants to practice their writing skills can do so by writing down the answers while they’re going around the circle.

“It’s pretty amazing that you can get people with brain injuries and cognitive problems to sit through a whole hour and not become bored or frustrated or wanting to leave,” says Kristi. “I think that the people in my class have gotten a lot out of it just with working on brainstorming, coming up with ideas, getting their brains moving, just thinking about different things.”

Running the class has also given Kristi a chance to strengthen her own skills, and she finds she gets a lot out of teaching others. She’s amazed at how far she’s come in just a short period of time.

“I’m able to clean and vacuum my room, clean my bathroom, do my own laundry, do everything actually. I don’t really need help with anything anymore, because of this place. I have learned so many new things and adaptive ways to do things with only having (use of) my one arm. We have lots of tools here that they teach us, different things that make life a little easier for us.”

Kristi has already been walking with a cane, which she didn’t expect to be able to do for at least two years. She’s looking forward to seeing how she’ll continue to grow in the future.

“I don’t know what the future is going to hold for me and I don’t know what’s going to happen so I’m just going to strive for my best and always be determined to just go the extra mile. I have a lot of self-motivation, I’m a very strong lady and very determined to get things done, to progress in my recovery and I’m just shooting for the stars.”