Testimonials About Our Program

“We were quite worried when it came time to transition from the care we were receiving to PUF funded care. The people at GRIT treated us with incredible warmth and kindness, right from the start, enabling us to make this change with ease. Our son has since flourished under the care of these skilled and loving professionals, far exceeding our expectations. GRIT has been the perfect fit for our family.”

Melanie Grant and Brian Lema

When I first spoke with the G.R.I.T. Calgary Society we were still in the hospital with our son Sammy who had just suffered a stroke at the age of 3 ½, and we were told by the Brain Injury Team that Sammy would need to be enrolled into an early intervention program in order to continue with his rehabilitation after discharge.

Being thrust into a life with a child with special needs, my husband and I were utterly overwhelmed with the task ahead of us and where to begin to provide Sammy the best tools for his recovery. We had no idea even what an Early Intervention program was or what it entailed.

From that first phone call I made to GRIT I knew everything was going to be Okay. They arranged to take Sammy into their school, and provided me with the words that I needed to hear – that Sammy was going to be in good hands. There began our journey with an organization that provided us more support than any other resource had to that point.

The at-home program GRIT offered worked wonderful for us, because as a parent I wanted to be active in my son’s recovery. As well, Sammy became over-stimulated and fatigued very quickly, and after spending 2-months in a hospital, I felt that Sammy would respond better in an environment that he was both comfortable and familiar with.

As Sammy progressed it was apparent that he also needed to grow on a more social level. The IET class offered by GRIT provided Sammy with his first real positive experience in a group environment. He was allowed to participate at his own pace and learned to interact with other children in a smaller environment that would not have been possible in a community preschool. Sammy also benefited tremendously from the Adapted Phys-ed class that provided him a fun and safe environment to test his physical limitations and to re-learn his lost abilities.

As Sammy progresses we look forward to the next step with GRIT – integrating Sammy into community schooling. Sammy’s developmental specialist provides us with a sense of security and confidence that Sammy is in good hands each and every day, and that she will guide him through his road to recovery and discovery.

Michele Monteith and Fred Filzi

Matthew came into our lives prematurely with many medical complications. He spent over a year in the hospital and needed a ventilator to help him breathe. He had a tracheostomy to help him breathe until this past summer. All of the tubes in his mouth when he was a baby gave him a severe oral aversion and the breathing equipment, while it did keep him alive, considerably delayed his physical development.

When Matthew started GRIT last September at 3 ½ years old he wouldn't put any food in his mouth and was would only walk while holding onto one of us. In the time it took to write his IPP and for us to sign it, Peggy and Marilyn had him running independently. Instead of getting him to eat by putting more and more food in his mouth, Peggy and Val took a step back and worked on his aversion and taught him that it was okay to have food in his mouth. It's been a long, long journey, but he is finally starting to eat small portions at each meal.

We are very thankful to have GRIT in our lives. Peggy has shown tremendous patience in getting Matthew to where he is today.

David and Teresa Pirie