Niko Herold
Hometown: Seagrave, ON
Niko Herold was born two months early, which caused a traumatic
brain injury upon birth accompanied by a seizure disorder. His
dedicated mother Donna, spent weeks driving three hours round-trip
each day to his Toronto hospital's newborn intensive care unit in
order to be with her son. Beating the odds, Niko made it through
the complications that his early delivery caused. He was later
diagnosed with moderate to severe Cerebral Palsy, and his mother
was told he would likely never walk, talk, be able to learn
cognitively or live an independent life.
At the age of two, after months of intense daily therapy, Niko
learned to sit-up. He stood up on his own at the age of three.
Throughout his childhood Niko underwent several surgeries to help
with his vision along with procedures on his ankle and Achilles
tendon. At this time his family decided to participate in a new
study, measuring the success of botox injections into the Achilles
tendon. Niko became the first child to participate in the
revolutionary study.
Growing up Niko alternated between utilizing a wheelchair and
crutches. By the age of four he was successfully walking
unassisted. As Niko's language skills improved, he became involved
in fundraising for children with disabilities. He and his family
raised thousands of dollars through their local Rotary Club, and
for Sick Kids Hospital and Easter Seals. In grade six Niko was even
nominated for Citizen of the Year for his efforts in educating the
public on individuals living with a disability.
Today, Niko has become a high school graduate and attended
Durham College in a program specifically designed for students
living with a disability. He fought to be able to branch out into
the non-modified mainstream college courses - which he accomplished
and completed - in order to earn the prerequisite courses needed to
apply for a culinary diploma program. His hard work paid off and he
started the culinary program this fall. In high school, Niko wanted
to be an example for other students living with disabilities to be
integrated and not labelled. He continued this in college, teaching
students how to be their own advocates and helping them to achieve
their goals. Since birth, he has shown great determination to never
give up regardless of his disability, and he will continue to help
others achieve inclusion and accessibility on his life's
journey.
Niko ran in the Relay in Oshawa on November 3, 2011 - Day 72 of
the Relay.
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