Yan He – triple amputee beats the odds and continues to thrive
For update on Yan He, view her September 2011 interview with CTV Edmonton!
Yan He (green shirt) with Covenant Health staff at the St. Michael’s Foundation golf tournament
In February, 2009, Yan He’s husband rushed her to Lethbridge Regional Hospital emergency room in the middle of the night because she was feeling extremely ill. The next thing she remembers is waking up and being told she could lose all of her limbs; she had been asleep for ten days. She had gone into septic shock after suffering a mysterious infection. The fact she was alive was a miracle.
Doctors ended up removing her legs below the knee and her left arm. Her right arm required extensive rehabilitation and her face was also damaged. From the moment she was told about her fate she faced the challenge with humour and determination. She says her first thought was she could now use handicap parking stalls – her next thought was what do she needed to do to get back to normal. Yan was fit and active and wanted to return to that lifestyle.
Yan’s rehab has been remarkable. She was a patient in the Post Acute Rehabilitation Program (P.A.R.P.) at St. Michael’s Health Centre in Lethbridge. She spent about six months in the unit and credits a lot of her success to the care and support she received from the P.A.R.P. team. They created an environment where she could push herself to limits the care team had never seen a patient go before. She is an inspiration to everyone she meets.
During the summer, Yan played in the St. Michael’s Foundation golf tournament, went camping and started playing table tennis again. Watch a video about Yan's story!