From Cancer Survivor to Para Hockey Pioneer
Ottawa hockey fans and adaptive sports advocates across the country have a new reason to be inspired: Raphaëlle Tousignant, one of Canada's most fearless Para hockey players, is fighting two battles at once, a deeply personal health journey and a very public push for women's equality in her sport.
Tousignant's story begins long before she ever strapped into a sled. As a child, she survived bone cancer, a diagnosis that would have permanently sidelined most people's ambitions. Instead, it lit a fire. Para hockey, the seated version of ice hockey played on sledges, gave her both a competitive outlet and a community to belong to. She didn't just compete. She excelled.
The Fight for Women's Para Hockey
But Tousignant quickly realized that surviving was only part of the challenge. Women in Para hockey occupy a frustratingly marginal space: less funding, fewer competitions, and far less visibility than their male counterparts. Rather than accept that reality, she made changing it part of her mission.
Her advocacy has been hands-on and ongoing. She has pushed governing bodies to expand women's programs, spoken publicly about the systemic barriers female Para athletes face, and used her platform to spotlight a sport that deserves far greater investment. For Tousignant, hockey isn't just a game. It's a vehicle for proving that disability sport, and women's disability sport in particular, belongs at the highest level.
Managing Health While Competing at an Elite Level
At the same time, Tousignant continues to navigate ongoing health challenges, competing at an elite level while managing the realities of a body that has already endured so much. That combination, high performance and complex health management, is something few athletes handle, and fewer still do so as openly as she does.
Her willingness to share that dual struggle has made her one of the more compelling figures in Canadian adaptive sports. She's not just an athlete chasing medals; she's a person wrestling with real-world constraints and still showing up.
What It Means for Ottawa
Ottawa has a strong and growing Para sports culture, with local programs, clubs, and advocacy organizations supporting athletes at every level. Stories like Tousignant's are part of what keeps that community energized, proof that Para athletes deserve the same passion, resources, and coverage as anyone else competing under the Canadian flag.
As Canada builds toward the next Paralympic cycle, Tousignant's dual fight, for her health and for her sport, is a reminder of the grit behind every athlete we cheer for. Whether you're new to Para hockey or a longtime supporter of adaptive sports, her story is one worth following closely.
Source: CBC Sports
