Montreal physician with one hand helping others to overcome disabilities

Working as a doctor in a busy ER during a pandemic is challenging enough, imagine doing so with only one hand. For one Montreal physician that is an everyday matter.

“It is the elephant in the room for a lot of people but for me honestly it’s just the way that I am and it doesn’t really come to mind a lot of time. A little bit more when people point it out but for me, it feels natural just like this,” explained Dr. Vanessa Knight, an ER physician at the Lakeshore General Hospital in Montreal’s West Island.

“I wear a prosthetic, especially when I’m working to help me adapt to certain procedures that I would normally have to do with two hands but for me, I just wear my prosthetic arm instead.”

Dr. Knight was born without her left hand. She’s never let it get her down, using it instead to help inspire others and has worked with War Amps since she was a baby.

“Now I’ve actually become a little bit more of a mentor for amputees going into the healthcare field. I’m mentoring some nurses, some doctors and I’m basically telling them the same thing. Don’t be afraid to tell people when you need help and what you can do because you are ultimately the person who knows that.”

She’s no stranger to the challenges health care workers have faced amid the ongoing pandemic.

“We have a lot of people who are losing trust in the healthcare system and being someone who is a representative of the healthcare system I find it a little bit difficult to help reinstate that trust,” she explained.

“In terms of my disability, most people have been really trusting and actually it makes me a little bit more approachable as a physician because they can kind of relate that there are patients with their own struggles, and I’ve had my own struggles and it helps me connect to them a little bit more on that level.”

Dr. Vanessa Knight, Montreal physician with one hand, helping others to overcome disabilities. (Credit: CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal)

Connecting more is something Dr. Knight sees as so important and she’s hoping young people who may be struggling with their own disabilities see that there is always a way.

“There’s always going to be people who doubt you, but you are the one who knows yourself the most and you are the one who knows your own ability and you have to be able to show them what you can do because no one can tell you what you can do.

“You’re the one that has to lead the way in that respect. I would also tell them that there are a lot of people on your side and use those people to your advantage. Really build up the group around you.”