Alexis’s story with Sainte-Justine is as old as he is, 17 years. When he was born prematurely, he and his mother were quite literally saved by the neonatology team. It took seven hours of operations and 18 specialists to save their lives. An arrival in the world that left marks. Due to a lack of oxygen when he was born, Alexis has since been coping with mild autism spectrum disorder and spastic cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in Canada, affecting two to three people out of every 1,000.

From the age of 10, Alexis was confined to a wheelchair, his muscles not developing at the same rate as his legs, making it virtually impossible for the young teenager to stand.

In April 2022, when Alexis was 14, the operation to treat his condition  became unavoidable, but also extremely difficult: stretched muscles, displaced knees, cut femurs, scars by the dozens. The Centre de réadaptation Marie Enfant of the CHU Sainte-Justine became his second home for eight months, during which he made herculean efforts to regain the use of his legs.

After two years of post-operative rehabilitation, Alexis is now strong, proud and, most importantly, able to stand. He continues his rehabilitation in physiotherapy twice a week and follows a daily muscle-stretching program. He continues to improve his walking technique.

Alexis owes these giant steps to his extraordinary adaptability and fierce determination, which enable him to enjoy his passions – video games, cars, and aircrafts – fully as adulthood nears. He flies regularly with his grandfather, a Vietnam veteran and pilot.