Standing at the edge of the Hyde Creek rec centre pool, Alexa Kemp is as lean and fragile-looking as a fledgling bird.
But once she's in the water, she swims like a fish.
"Good job, Lexie. Good job!" her mom, Deborah Prokosh, yells. Thrilled with her daughter's accomplishment, she steps back from the edge of the pool to clap enthusiastically.
It's a common scene poolside but Alex is not just another new swimmer and Prokosh is not simply a proud parent.
Alexa, who is 12 years old, has a genetic disorder and mobility issues, and is mostly confined to a wheelchair. But today, she dog paddles over to her mom and with a wide grin and big sparkly eyes, showing off her new skill.
"in the water she is free." — Brenda Horton, Kidsfirst Physio
It's been just over a year since Alexa started water therapy with Tidal Wave Aquatics, a subsidiary of Kidsfirst Physio. In that time, Alexa went from needing a floating device and clinging to her two trained assistants to dog paddling across the pool on her own.
"It looked like she was fighting for her life," says her mom. "Now, she's swimming fluidly and independently."
Thanks to her team and an individualized therapy plan developed by Brenda Horton at Kidsfirst, Alexa is confident around water, swimming without the aid of a floating device and staying afloat just like any other child her age.
Horton, who developed the hydrotherapy program 10 years ago, said the program benefits children with developmental delays and physical handicaps, and gives parents a sense of relief that their kids can handle themselves around water.
The water therapy has made other profound changes, both Horton and Prokosh say. Alexa has developed more strength so she can sometimes stand or walk and not use her wheelchair, and she's clearly at home in the water; and while she's non-verbal, she expresses her excitement with repetitive hand-gestures.
"Gravity is her enemy," Horton said, "in the water she is free."
There are more than 150 children aged one to 18 in the program who, with the help of their assistants, develop a sense of trust in the water. Eventually, at least for the older children, they become confident enough to stay afloat without an aid and, depending on their abilities, can swim alone for a few feet or several pool lengths.
"It's all about timing and trust," said Horton who opened private practice in 1989 in Coquitlam and has twice been nominated and once been awarded with the Champion for Young Children Special Needs Award by the Tri-Cities ECD (Early Childhood Development Committee).
Back in the pool, Alexa is splashing and enjoying her therapy, and Prokosh is happy.
Neither probably ever expected Alexa to swim on her own but she has now reached that milestone and more.
• More information about Tidal Wave Aquatics, which celebrates 10 years this year, is available at www.kidsfirstphysio.ca
