It takes a community to help local families afford health services
Tyrion loves writing stories and inventing his own languages. Currently in Grade 7, he’s preparing for high school in the fall and is excited to join the acting program. “He’s a pretty sweet kid, very generous,” his mom Natalie says. “He’s not shy about being his own person.”
Tyrion also has a stutter and has always had trouble forming words; his speech disorder significantly impacted his primary school years. Other than his mom, most people couldn’t understand him, leaving him feeling frustrated.
When Natalie and Tyrion moved from Victoria to North Vancouver to be closer to family, Tyrion’s speech disorder became more pronounced. He felt isolated from his peers and struggled to communicate in class. His teachers noticed how much extra support he needed and suggested speech therapy.
While the school provided some therapy, the sessions were irregular. “He was seeing a speech therapist about twice a semester. It wasn’t very consistent,” Natalie says.
Needing a better solution, Tyrion started private speech therapy sessions when he was nine or ten. But Natalie, who is raising Tyrion on her own, says her workplace benefits would only last about a third of the year with the frequent sessions Tyrion needs. Thankfully, the speech therapy clinic told her about Variety; Tyrion’s been attending speech therapy with funding from Variety since 2023.
Therapy will continue to be part of Tyrion’s life for the next few years, but thanks to his weekly sessions and determination, his progress has been significant. His family, friends and teachers can understand much more of what he says. And this has boosted Tyrion’s confidence as well.
“He used to be so frustrated when people couldn’t understand what he was saying,” Natalie says. “But just as he’s practised more and as he’s improved, he’s seen that it has made a difference. He has more patience.”
Natalie knows how quickly circumstances can change—a financial crisis, job loss, or illness—and how it doesn’t take much to feel the pressure, especially when you have someone else to care for.
“When you’re a parent, you understand how bad it could get if something were to happen, and you understand how much support is needed for kids who require extra help—that’s when you appreciate all of these supportive structures we have,” she says.
That perspective has also shaped how she thinks about giving, and why support from other families matters so much. “If you’re able to give, you’re potentially giving to your future self or giving to somebody else you know who might need it at some point. I think it’s very commendable that people think about others in that way.”