A Decade with Medicure

This October marks Leanne's 10-year anniversary with Medicure. Her career has evolved from Pharmaceutical Account Executive to Regional Sales Manager, and now to Compliance Officer. The leap from Sales to Compliance was driven by an unexpected life change.

The Injury that Changed Leanne's Life

In the summer of 2018, Leanne's life took a dramatic turn when she was involved in a devastating cycling accident in Winnipeg, resulting in a spinal cord injury. From that moment, her life changed – she would never walk again.

"We received a lot of support from our community after my injury," said Leanne Taylor. "One of the pivotal things I was told was from Dr. Friesen – he said, 'There's always going to be a job waiting for you when you're ready to come back.' Those words meant a lot to me. With so many changes happening at once, being able to confidently answer that one question was critical for my mental health."

Finding Joy and Purpose

"We've made a lot of conscious decisions early on in her recovery journey to try and bring joy to our lives," said Scott Dyck, Leanne's husband and Medicure's Director of Marketing. "Exercising makes her happy. Having a job makes her happy. Having friends makes her happy. And so, she tried to include those types of things in her life."

Becoming a Para-triathlete

Returning to work wasn't Leanne's only goal. She also focused on sport, discovering paratriathlon. She connected with Carolyn Murray, Triathlon Canada's Paratriathlon Coach, soon after her injury and was presented with an opportunity to get classified in triathlon. Classification categorizes para-athletes based on their disability, ensuring fair competition.

First Race 8 Months After the Injury

Just eight months after her spinal cord injury, Leanne competed in her first paratriathlon. She had to learn how to swim using only her arms, bike in a handcycle, and run in a racing wheelchair. Leanne finished her first paratriathlon in 1 hour, 38 minutes, and 49 seconds, just 27 minutes and 4 seconds behind Tokyo's Gold Medalist, Kendall Gretsch.

The race lit a fire in Leanne. She found a community of like-minded individuals, all working together to improve themselves and compete at the highest level.

"It felt so good to compete. That was something I didn't think I'd be able to do after my injury," said Taylor.

"She's always been willing to take on new tasks that she's not very familiar with. A lot of us impose a mental limitation on ourselves in what we can achieve. It's been a pleasure to watch her remove those limitations," said Neil Owens, Medicure's President and COO.