Laurentian student living with polio is being called an inspiration
At the age of three, Koko Blaise was diagnosed with polio.
He said he faced many challenges back home over the years, including not having access to a wheelchair.
“I got paralyzed when I was three years old. I heard of this story from my Mom. She taught me how to walk with a stick on my legs. I got my first wheelchair when I got to university, when I was a freshmen, to where I sit in a wheelchair to enjoy how a wheelchair can help a disabled person,” Blaise said.
One of the reasons why he chose to move to Sudbury was because it’s a bilingual city and to continue his education, Blaise told CTV News.
Blaise is currently studying biochemistry at Laurentian University (LU), and says he is hoping to work in the medical field once he graduates.
Blaise decided to try out para-rowing at LU.
“It’s amazing, get up early in the morning, come in here be active and see that this program can help a person, and also to improve my life,” Blaise said.
Thomas Merritt, the parasports rowing head coach, said Blaise has been a great addition to the team.
“It’s been fantastic to have him on the team. He comes into rowing as a novice rower but he has literally decades of experience in sports,” said Merritt.Thomas Merritt, the parasports rowing head coach, said Blaise has been a great addition to the team. (Supplied by Thomas Merritt)“We set him up, we go through the basics of the stroke and then we transition onto a boat back in June. So, it’s been a lot of fun just to make that transition with an athlete… Anytime you get an athlete on the water for the first time there’s that excitement of this is the first time that we’re able to do that.”
A few years ago, Blaise decided to become an advocate for people with disabilities.
Over the course of five years, Blaise was able to host many initiatives to help purchase over a hundred wheelchairs for others living with disabilities back home in Africa.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.