About Us
About The Amputee Coalition of Canada
Our mission is to empower our Canadian limb loss community through connection, resources, education, and peer support.
Since 2008, the Amputee Coalition of Canada (ACC), a non-profit organization, has improved and advanced the quality of life for persons with limb loss. The ACC provides subsequent support for individuals as rehabilitation focuses only on delivering immediate essential education to learn to live with limb loss. The ACC encourages amputees to gain skills and coping techniques that increase confidence and a sense of belonging in their community through peer support programs and the promotion of regional support groups. The ACC relies on structured and validated programs involving persons with amputation, to encourage a culture of support, networking, and active participation in life following limb loss.
Our charitable number is 833263023 RR 001
Our Board
The ACC is a volunteer-run organization. Our Board of Directors manages the day-to-day operations.
Kia Johnsen
Kia Johnsen became an amputee in May 2013. Kia utilized crutches and returned to work after a couple of years of unsuccessful socket and prostheses use. Kia sought out Osseointegration after meeting two remarkable BC Amputees and was granted Out of Country surgical coverage for Osseointegration in Australia. With her tenacious attitude and resourcefulness, Kia raised $16,000CAD to stay five weeks in Australia and became the 17th woman in Canada to have Osseointegration. With great success, Kia has committed herself to helping amputees and chronic pain sufferers by becoming a trained Peer Visitor, Peer Visitor Trainer, and a chronic pain coach supporting everyone that comes her way with enthusiasm and courage to make a change.
Sam Paulos
Sam Paulos became a trans-femoral amputee in 2011 and after several months of rehabilitation, he returned to his career in financial services. As part of his recovery, Sam focused on returning to the activities he enjoyed which include travel, cycling, scuba diving, and alpine skiing with his local adaptive group. Driven by a desire to give back and help fellow amputees, Sam became a trained Peer Visitor and Peer Visitor trainer supporting new amputees and the activation of various support groups and Peer Visitors in Ontario.
Andrea Swallow
Andrea Swallow became an amputee at age 16 due to a motorcycle accident. Being registered in the Champ Program of the War Amps of Canada enabled her and her family to meet other teens living with limb loss and this provided a gift unlike any other…understanding that she wasn’t alone in navigating amputation.
Andrea is now a WestCoast mom, educator, and advocate with various amputee support groups including Amp*Unity Canada. Inspired every day by the resiliency, courage, and humility around her, her driving force is building connections and community for amputees, ensuring the opportunity to lift each other up along the way.
Kirsten Woodend
Kirsten Woodend is a nurse of 40+ years and an amputee. Kirsten has held numerous clinical practice positions, and teaching, research, and administrative positions in the fields of nursing and epidemiology and is presently an associate professor of nursing at Trent University since 2011. She is committed to both her academic and local community, serving on the board of the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing; working to address the peer support needs of amputees in her region, and serving as chair of the board of the local nurse-practitioner-led clinic. On a beautiful day in the summer of 2017, she sustained life-threatening injuries, including the loss of her left leg, as a result of a motorcycle accident, giving her the opportunity to live healthcare from the patient perspective.
Tracy MacCharles
Tracy was diagnosed with bone cancer when she was a teenager, the same year Terry Fox undertook his Marathon of Hope. She received limb-saving surgery in the U.S.
Thirty years later, as a young mother of twins, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite her diagnosis, she continued to pursue her career goals, working as a public servant, a private sector executive, a consultant, and eventually as an elected politician and cabinet minister. Volunteering for her community and for organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society and Accessibility Advisory Councils has always been a significant part of her life.
Shortly after becoming a member of provincial parliament, her internal leg prosthesis broke. By this time, limb-saving surgery was more common in Canada, and she was able to undergo replacement surgery. Seven years ago marked the beginning of numerous surgical revisions, infections, and medical complications. In May 2023, she became an above-knee amputee.
She requested a Peer Visitor from the Amputee Coalition of Canada (ACC). Earlier this year, she completed ACC’s Peer Visitor Training and became a member of the ACC Board of Directors. In June of this year, she facilitated ACC’s first virtual Peer Visitor drop-in, which was attended by Peer Visitors from across Canada.
Tracy lives in Pickering, Ontario. She holds an honours degree in Business and Public Administration from Brock University. Currently, she works as a part-time consultant and guest lecturer at the University of Toronto. She enjoys being part of several not for profit boards and amputee support groups.
Suzanne Scher
Suzanne became a transfemoral amputee in 2020 due to septic shock, which led to a month on life support and an eight-month hospital stay. Her journey through this lived experience has been supported by the knowledge she gained during her 25-year career as a Registered Social Worker. Much of her career was spent in managerial roles within children’s mental health centers and employee assistance programs.
Suzanne’s previous volunteer experiences, including serving on the Boards of Directors for numerous registered Canadian charities, complement her professional roles and bring her great satisfaction.
As she approaches the four-year mark since her amputation, Suzanne has focused on her physical, occupational, and psychological rehabilitation. She began seeking opportunities to give back and became a certified peer visitor, trained to train new peer visitors. Suzanne now volunteers to support the peer visitor program at the Amputee Coalition of Canada (ACC).