An Edmonton youth who suffered a spinal cord injury now has the chance to regain some of the freedom he once had thanks to a new wheelchair.
Tanner Leslie, 12, lost his ability to walk when he and his family were involved in a head-on vehicle collision in July 2023 west of Revelstoke, B.C.
Everyone in their car survived, but Tanner took the brunt of the injuries, losing all feeling from the waist down.
With the help of the Shine Foundation, which aims to empower young Canadians living with severe physical disabilities, the family found a way for Tanner to continue being a kid.
“This is something that we wouldn’t have been able to do on our own,” said Carly Dinan, Tanner’s mom. “We didn’t know what our options were, so they gave us some ideas.”
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The Ontario-based organization came up with the “not a wheelchair rig,” an electric all-terrain chair that Tanner …