resilient & resourced podcast - season 2, episode 10

Have you ever heard a story that you can’t forget? For me, it was about 3 years at a local gym when I first heard Bill tell his story. And I have remembered it ever since. Bill has a complex medical history that has meant over a hundred hospital visits starting at the age of 17 months. Can you imagine being enrolled into your kindergarten class and then, along with your dad, training your soon-to-be teachers, ways to support your medical needs? Bill has faced living with a compromised immune system which has led him to develop characteristics like adaptability, grounded positivity and the ability to set boundaries with energy allocation.  At 35 years old, Bill has discovered he is as comfortable sleeping in a hospital bed as in his own bed at home. This is because, before he was two years old, he was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called homozygous-familial-hypercholesterolemia which meant weekly hospital visits. He was the youngest person in North America to have a triple bypass surgery at eight years old. Even with these incredible challenges and physical limitations, Bill was drawn to powerlifting in his 20’s and this practice continues to benefit him physically and mentally. In his early 30’s, his health came to a traumatic point when his aortic valve almost closed. This event tested his positive outlook, his confidence and led him to reach out for professional help. It also challenged his view of what it means to reach out for help. Bill compassionately articulates the pain associated with resilience and how he now appreciates how his experiences have shaped him into the man he has become.