10/31/2018
Clinician Profile: Darbi Aitchison- Practicing Kinesiologist
Darbi has her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from the University of Victoria. She is an islander through and through; born and raised in the Cowichan Valley, and staying here because she loves the beauty of the island, the opportunities for adventure, and the community that stands so firmly behind each other. She grew up playing soccer, field hockey, and sailing down in Maple Bay; however, after high school soccer took priority. She played for the CVSA Division 1 women’s team through most of her undergraduate, developing solid friendships and the skills required to maintain a balanced lifestyle between school, social, and sports.
A passionate student and athlete, Darbi’s world was turned upside-down in the middle of her kinesiology degree. She was diagnosed with Guillain Barré syndrome; a rare auto-immune disorder that attacks the nervous system, leaving the muscles nearly useless. She went from being a healthy 21 year old to not being able to walk in a little under a week, and her condition deteriorated until she was only able to move her eyes. Daily trips outside and way too much HGTV kept her mindlessly entertained and after 3 months in the ICU her body slowly started to come back. Spending over 7 months in hospital, Darbi has learned the importance of patience and persistence required for rehabilitation, as well as the enormous impact of hope. Believing that things will get better is half the battle, if you’ve convinced your heart and your brain, your body will follow. Three years later, it’s still a work in progress, and it may always be, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t progress to be made.
Having gone through her own recovery, Darbi understands the challenges associated with physical rehabilitation, and that to heal one aspect of our body requires our whole being to go through change. Darbi’s belief is that the body is meant to move, so working as a team let’s keep people moving.
