Benveet “Bean” Gill

In her 20s, Gill was working as an X-ray technologist in a cardiac catheterization lab. But, in 2012, when she turned 30, everything changed. During a trip to Las Vegas, a virus paralyzed her from the waist down.

"The pain lasted only a few minutes, and then I couldn't move my right leg. I was paralyzed within 10 minutes."

Multiple neurologists told Gill a virus was likely to blame, and she would regain full use of her legs within weeks.

After several months of no progress, Bean was forced to come to grips with her new reality. A once athletic young woman who enjoyed modeling, kickboxing, and weightlifting, she struggled with betrayal by her own body. She was forced to find her way through an inaccessible society, all the while living with paralysis and learning how to love herself—disability and all.

Bean took her health into her own hands, seeking out the answers and help she needed to confront her challenges head-on. Eventually, Gill found her confidence again. She worked to regain movement in her legs and pushed herself to try sports she never would have attempted before being paralyzed.

Today, she’s a passionate advocate for disability rights and representation, the co-founder of the ReYu Paralysis Recovery Centre in Edmonton and was the host of the CBC TV series of the Rosie Nominated show PUSH, which follows the lives of wheelchair users as they navigate love, work, and independence. Through storytelling and advocacy, Bean continues to break down barriers and redefine what it means to live boldly with disability.