Stephanie Lurch is a woman of the world. Working as a physiotherapist, she’s traveled with an ultramarathoner in New Zealand and with Cirque Du Soleil on their European tour. She’s worked in Vancouver, Ghana and the Canary Islands.
 

When people only see a part of you, they don’t see a whole you. There is more to you. You are more than the sum of your parts.

For the past seven years, CTN has benefitted from Stephanie's international experience as a physiotherapist specializing in pediatrics with the York Catholic District School Board. Stephanie’s approach to physiotherapy focuses on the whole self. “I really want my clients to know that they are enough,” she says. “I have never been enough. When people first see me, they see that I am Black, but they don’t see the other parts of me. When people see kids with a disability, they see the disability but not the kids.”

This is what Stephanie is working to change. The first question she asks the children she sees, is ‘who are you?’ As Leader: Anti-Racism, Equity, and Social Accountability in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto, Stephanie also brings an equity and inclusivity lens to her professional approach. She sees her role as ensuring patients thrive. In the process, she’s also inspiring the next generation of therapists to incorporate inclusivity and equity into their practice. “Physio is all about movement. We often think about it as just movement of the body, but there’s more,” she says. “There is the movement of the heart, the soul and social justice movement.”

For Stephanie, working with children and seeing their whole self centres on inclusivity and living your values. As CTN continues to bring care where it is needed in the community, Stephanie stresses the importance of seeing the whole child. “When people only see a part of you, they don’t see a whole you. There is more to you. You are more than the sum of your parts.”


Stephanie's story was first shared in CTN's 2020-21 Annual Report.