In December 2023, I had my left ankle joint replaced after living with rheumatoid arthritis in that joint for 38.5 years. Ten years prior, I had the talonavicular joint in my left foot fused. What follows is my personal experience with the approach I took to making my recovery time as comfortable as possible. This approach was mostly informed by the poor experience I had after my last surgery since there had been little guidance about how to set myself up for success.

When I started as Bike Mayor of Halifax, I launched a project to get community input about what people think the term “all abilities” means. The term is used in the context of cycling infrastructure in Halifax. You’ll often hear city planners and cycling advocates talk about “all ages and abilities”. The “all ages” part is relatively clear, but it’s never been clear whether “all abilities” refers to cycling ability, disability, or both.

I became Bicycle Mayor of Halifax in December 2019. I started strong out of the gate, with media interviews early on and introducing my new role at the Halifax Cycling Coalition’s birthday party in February 2020. During winter bike week, I gave a Pecha Kucha talk along with other members of the Halifax cycling community. Along with the Halifax Cycling Coalition (HCC), I launched a survey to gather insights about what people think the term “all abilities” means with respect to cycling.