SCI Superstar: Carolyn Pioro

In 2000, Carolyn Pioro’s life forever changed. Carolyn was a circus performer for a Toronto-based company, Cirque Sublime, where she was a rope/bungee trapeze performer and trained with a group of three others on the flying trapeze.

Why She’s Fearless

During one of her performances with Cirque Sublime, Carolyn fell neck first from the trapeze. She remembers hearing an actual snap as she fell and knew her life was about to change. Carolyn damaged her spinal cord at the cervical fourth and fifth vertebrae (C4/5).

After her injury, she spent two months in the hospital before she could be discharged and start her rehabilitation process. Though this was the most difficult time, she remained hopeful. Carolyn learned to use an optical head mouse, as well as the Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which let her type through voice recognition. Even after months of living in an assisted living residence, Carolyn continued to stay positive.

Carolyn became eligible for Ontario’s Direct Funding Program and later became a web intern at Chatelaine. She is a fearless woman, who has remained hopeful throughout her rehabilitation process.

She has come to peace with the fact that, “It may not get better, but it will get easier” and she does not let others tell her that she can’t do something. Carolyn has chosen to continue working as an editor and strives to make her voice heard.

Carolyn may have fallen quite literally in the prime of her life, losing the ability to do what she loves, but Carolyn’s fearless spirit is one of strength and reinvention. 

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