In November, 2022, 19-year-old Téa Crescenzi suffered a heart attack that led to a catastrophic ischemic brain injury, which occurs when the brain doesn’t receive the oxygen it needs. She then fell into a coma for one month, and upon waking, found herself completely immobile with severely impaired vision.
After leaving the hospital in a wheelchair, Ms. Crescenzi began outpatient physiotherapy at Southlake Health in Newmarket, Ont., where she met Emily Williams, a 26-year-old stroke survivor who was on a similar recovery path. When Ms. Williams mentioned she had started going to Reach, a climbing gym in the nearby town of Aurora, Ms. Crescenzi decided to try it out as well.
Sarah Thorne, the owner of the gym, is one of the occupational therapists working with the Canadian Adaptive Climbing Society. The not-for-profit runs a six-week rehabilitation program that uses indoor rock climbing as a vehicle for healing. It also facilitates free outdoor and indoor try-it sessions for anyone looking to try the sport before committing to the full program, as well as recreational climbs – all designed for people with physical challenges.
This year alone, CACS enrolled 14 participants in the six-week program, introduced more than 100 individuals to the sport through four try-it sessions, and hosted 10 recreational climbs, according to executive director Kate Stewart. The program fosters a tight-knit community that is hard to find in other therapeutic environments, focused on improving both mental health and physical strength.
Ms. Thorne says that rock climbing fulfills all three elements of rehab. Physically, it provides novel and high-volume upper-extremity movements that engage fine and gross motor skills; psycho-emotionally, it promotes mindfulness in a communal environment; and cognitively, it requires focus and planning to solve the puzzle behind each climb. “It helps address a broad range of goals at a wide range of difficulty to address each of our clients’ needs,” she says.
For Ms. Crescenzi and Ms. Williams, their individual therapy goals include increased range of motion, hand and arm co-ordination, strength, and improved overall mobility and balance.
This July, at Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area in Milton, Ont., Ms. Crescenzi and Ms. Williams embarked on their first day of outdoor climbing.
Rattlesnake Point spans 100 square kilometres in the Niagara Escarpment, with limestone cliffs that reach close to 30 metres in height.
Overcoming the boulders, trees and loose rocks on the trail to the base of the cliff was an unexpected challenge for Ms. Crescenzi, who had never thought of climbing as rehab until her friend introduced her to the idea. “Being at Rattlesnake feels very freeing. Just getting down to the cliff feels very challenging and rewarding,” she says. “All the bruises and scrapes are worth it.”
For Ms. Williams, climbing outdoors felt surreal, considering her long and continuing path to recovery. “Three years ago, I was just thinking of walking again, let alone climbing rocks,” she says. At the top of the cliff, through the cedar trees, she looked out at the expansive blue skies over Lowville Valley, observing the occasional turkey vulture take flight.
Ms. Thorne helps Emily Williams remove bandages from her twisted ankle.
Another climber from the July session, Krista Steinhart, started working with CACS two years ago, after experiencing a brain injury from a 2020 car accident. She has gone through the six-week program multiple times since then and continues to take part in both outdoor and indoor climbing sessions. “Climbing is a great way to take risks in a controlled way,” she reflects while resting, after reaching the top ledge of the route. “It builds resilience in a way that other things don’t, and the impact is immediate.”
“Being here, with your coach, your therapy team and this community helps you succeed while allowing for the independence to figure it out by yourself.”
CACS climber Roberta Cole has been living with a multiple sclerosis diagnosis since 1993, and also participated in the July climb at Rattlesnake. “I went into the program expecting to build my physical strength,” she says. “But after participating in it three years in a row, I’ve realized the social and emotional aspects are the most significant benefits. It’s helped me in ways I didn’t know I needed.”
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