It takes immense strength to find the silver lining in the face of tragedy, but that’s what 20-year-old Brooklyn Aleksic has been able to do with her diagnosis, which threw a giant wrench in her life earlier this year.
Practically overnight, the Abbotsford resident went from having a thriving academic and social life at the University of Victoria to being bedridden due to what she would later find out was a spinal stroke.
This incredibly rare affliction left her unable to walk and took her away from her beloved sport of curling, which she has been involved with for years and even got her featured in the 2024 documentary Curl Power.
It’s been a long, hard road since she suffered the spinal stroke back in June. But in some ways, Aleksic believes she has emerged even stronger.
“I have a better perspective on life and what’s important,” said Aleksic.
“I used to dwell on the small things, and I still do sometimes, but I’ve learned that there’s so much more to life than worrying about the small things. Having that perspective is going to be so beneficial for me in the future.”
Early on in her treatment, Aleksic underwent a series of plasma exchanges to help with what the doctors thought might be Transverse Myelitis.
In total, she had this procedure done 14 times, meaning that the 20-year-old required donations from more than 180 people.
Now that her diagnosis has changed and she no longer requires plasma exchanges, Aleksic is determined to find a way to give back to the community.
“I think it is important that I pay forward the plasma that I took away from other people who probably need it more than I did,” said Aleksic.
To help her do this, she has had friends and family come together to make plasma donations, with the most recent donation drive taking place at the Canadian Blood Services location in Abbotsford on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Canadian Blood Services community development manager Colin Lundrigan said that despite the region dealing with flooding, several donors still showed up in support of Aleksic.
“Since June, when Brooklyn decided to create a donor team and give back, her crew has grown to 112 members, completing over 275 donations,” said Lundrigan.
Included among the donors at the most recent event were her parents, with Aleksic’s mother Shannon Joanisse overjoyed to see so many people come together for such a good cause.
“We’ve just seen such an outpour of love and support from far and wide, and it’s heartwarming to see how the community has come together to support our family,” said Joanisse.
Although Aleksic may not need plasma exchanges anymore, she still has a long recovery journey ahead of her, but she said she’s determined to put her all into the recovery process, just as she did with her curling and many other aspects of her life.
To aid her rehabilitation, Aleksic will be taking the next two years off from school or work. Instead, she’ll continue her process of being in the gym or physiotherapy up to five days a week.
But through all of this, one thing that hasn’t changed is her determination to finish her education and one day become an elementary school teacher.
Until then, she’ll continue her advocacy efforts to give back to the medical community as much as possible.
More information on Aleksic’s journey and how to contribute to her recovery efforts can be found at brooklynaleksic.com.