It was a nasty and windy downpour of a Sunday in Vancouver, but inside Main Street's Heritage Hall, a special group of women were gathered around tables, dry, cozy, warm and enjoying hot tea and mini sandwiches. Spinal Cord Injury BC held their Annual Women's Tea where women of all ages and wakes of life that live with spinal cord injuries or complications were pampered and served for an entire afternoon. This year's theme was Hollywood/Oscars and the women of SCI BC did a fantastic job with their props, decor and their slideshow of old school Oscar Winning movies!

Lovely teas provided by local Bayswater Tea Co.

Relaxing Massages by Marisa + Ren

Make-Up and Hairstyling courtesy of Students and Graduates of Blanche MacDonald

Two musicians graced us with their talent. Kristina Shelden performed for the first time since her spinal cord injury which affected her ability to play.

Sylvi MacCormac, has been performing and composing soundscapes since diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in her early 20's. Many of her compositions have been published in the Canadaian Music Centre and Canadian Electroacoustic Community and she is the creator of WHEELS Soundscapes: Voice of People with Dis Abilities at the Vancouver Adapted Music Society.

The amazing ladies of SCI BC

A few goodies from the photo booth!

As you can see, a great time was had by all! I love being part of this event. It is so uplifting to be surrounded by women who struggle on a day to day basis with the fluid mobility that many of us take for granted, to be in awe of their strength, humbled by their vulnerability and melted by their joyful smiles. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces and know that this tight knit community has great support both from and thanks to SCI BC.

Last weekend I joined the members of SCI BC for their Great Gatsby themed event at Hastings Race Track. I first met Shelley through a mutual friend, Altaira, who asked if I would do a photobooth for their Annual Ladie's Tea earlier this year at The Heritage Hall on Main Street, Vancouver.

This event was so heart-warming and inspiring. For one lovingly planned afternoon, ladies living with the challenges of spinal cord injuries and complications were pampered from the head to toe from the inside out. Delicious food and drinks were served throughout the day. There were a few talks, a special wheelchair yoga demonstration was given, there was a henna table set up, a massage station, and a makeover section where ladies could all go to get their makeup and hair done. The energy in the hall was incredible. I was so humbled and grateful to be able to donate my services to capture all the smiling faces from this special day.

I have never been to the race track before and it was a lot more fun than I had expected! Definitely planning to get some friends together to do this again, though probably in the summer months! The weather was soggier than we were hoping for but this did not dampen anyone's spirits. We had a good turnout in spite of the rain and we were lucky to have a 45 minute window where it stopped while we were given the opportunity to present flowers to the winner!

It has been a pleasure to help in my own little way for SCI BC. Moreso because one of my closest cousins had a spinal cord injury at the very young age of 14. She was in a wheelchair for a couple of years, doing vigorous physio here in Vancouver, far from her home in Williams Lake, before she gained enough strength and mobility to walk with the use of crutches. I do not remember hearing about them way back then, but I am overjoyed to know that they do exist and that they provide both great support and fun events for those living with spinal cord injuries.

Please check out their website at www.sci-bc.ca

Thanks again to Shelley and SCI BC for allowing me to be a part of this event! Look forward to working with you guys again!

Annual Women's Tea with SCI BC

At The Races with SCI BC