In 2020 at the age of 14, Ainsley became a tetraplegic doing something that every kid does; she was simply playing with her friends when she slipped and fell out of a tree, changing her life forever. As a teenager, she was able to access rehabilitation services from both the paediatric system and the adult system during her nine month hospital and rehabilitation journey. During her many months of rehabilitation, she learned the importance of positivity, perseverance and the willingness to try new things, lessons that she continues to learn every day. The women that Ainsley met through the SCI BC peer mentorship program taught her so much about living and thriving with a disability. This sense of support and connection later inspired her to become a peer mentor herself, so she could provide that kind of connection and support to other young women and teenagers that are new to living with a spinal cord injury. After realizing the change that sharing her personal experiences could make for others, Ainsley has attended several PLEX (persons with lived experience) panels at hospitals in the hopes of improving care for people with spinal cord injuries. Ainsley is also proud to be a youth ambassador with the Rick Hansen foundation. Currently, Ainsley lives in Kelowna along side friends and family where she works as a Community Specialist at the Kelowna Visitor Centre, is captain of her high school debate team, enjoys traveling and is dedicated to her studies in the hopes of pursuing a career in law.
