Teacher struck by minivan recovering in hospital

A high school gym teacher who was struck by a minivan outside his Rexdale home last month is recovering in hospital, but doctors aren’t certain he’ll ever walk again.

“I’m past being sad or angry … I was a little bit angry at the people that tried to kill me with a minivan,” Michael Stewart, 39, told CityNews Friday from Sunnybrook hospital.

“I’m progressing, I’m healing, the staples are out of my back.”

Stewart, who worked as a physical education teacher at Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, is still unable to walk more than six weeks after one of his vertebrae was crushed.

He said the hardest part of his recovery is seeing pictures of himself. He’s lost 30 pounds since the crash and would only do a phone interview.

On March 14, Stewart had run out to the end of his driveway on Barford Road to confront some kids who had thrown eggs at his house. He was then hit by a beige-gold minivan around 12:35 a.m.

“There’s no walking. There’s small steps. I can stand up with the use of a walker and my physiotherapist with me.  

“It’s frustrating. I’m used to having my body do what it wants. Now, I’m a baby.”

Stewart said his doctors are very positive, but no one has said for certain whether he’ll walk again.

As for the suspects, who have not been found, Stewart said he hopes they look at their freedom as a chance to do better and “focus on school and being a better person.”

Stewart, who also coached the school’s baseball team to two east regional championships, said his current students and alumni have been a huge support in his recovery.

Matthew Lynch, who is on the baseball team, told CityNews it’s strange not having him there when the season begins next week.

“He was such an important person to the team, always getting us ready for the games and giving us all the hope that we needed.”

The public has been very supportive too. Stewart’s roof, which was in need of repair before the crash, was fixed for free. A gardening company has volunteered to mow his week once a week until he recovers.

“That kind of stuff — these people don’t know who I am. They’ve never met me. But they’ve heard about the incident and given up their own time and resources….It makes you pause and realize bad things happened but there are a lot of good people out there.”

Stewart will be transferred to the Lyndhurst Clinic on Monday, a part of Toronto Rehabilitation Institute that deals with spinal cord rehabilitation.

Police are still looking for the Chrysler minivan, which has front-end damage and a broken tinted window.

“Someone must know who the owner of that van is,” Const. Tony Vella said. “There must be some repair done to that side window.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (416) 808-1900 or Crime Stoppers at (416) 222-TIPS.

If you want to donate to Stewart’s recovery, visit the Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation and search for “Get Mike Walking.”