Courage To Come Back: Medical award recipient won’t let her disability define her

She is a survivor and an advocate, sharing her story with anyone who will listen. Louisa Bridgman of North Vancouver is the recipient of the Courage To Come Back Award in the Medical category.

She was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy at 18 months, presenting a complex set of challenges she continues to deal with to this day.

“It’s a neurological condition that affects my nervous system due to the fact of a lack of oxygen to the brain.”

“I don’t have the use of my legs, so I am wheelchair bound. I’ve had umpteen-dozen surgeries — at 66 and counting at this point, just to maintain the limited mobility that I do have, but I keep trying,” she said.

Bridgman got her first taste of advocacy back in kindergarten, when her elementary school tried to stop her from attending. So, with the help of the United Way, she went public with her story.

“I got them to make a phone call to Tony Parsons and BCTV at the time. I got on the phone with him, and I explained the situation. A few minutes later, a news crew was down there, which caused the school board to overturn their decision and allow me access to school.”

And she has been advocating ever since. Some of her work includes advising the City of North Vancouver on accessibility issues and providing education and outreach through the Rick Hansen Foundation.

She says it’s difficult, but necessary work. 

“It wasn’t easy, and it’s still not easy now, to be honest,” she said.

Bridgman has been living independently since the age of 20. At 17, she had herself removed from her mother’s care after years of physical, mental, and sexual abuse.

“As well as other abuses that I don’t feel comfortable talking about at this point,” she said.

She tried to take her life 12 different times between the ages of five and 17. One of her ways of coping today is wheelchair boxing.

“I was skeptical at first, but … I really started enjoying it, and it’s reduced my pain by half, and I am no longer on long-term narcotics to control pain.”

Bridgman says she will not be defined by her disability. That’s why she has this message:

“Don’t give up. Keep trying. You might, if you’re not able to go through the front door, you might have to kick down the back door.”

1130 NewsRadio is a proud sponsor of the 2025 Coast Mental Health Courage To Come Back Awards, which are being handed out Wednesday, May 7 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.