Benjamin Sloetjes paints his way into the 2010 Scotties Tissue Design Challenge!

Please join Gluckstein Personal Injury Lawyers LLP in voting for Benjamin Sloetjes, a former client, and an acquired brain injury survivor, in the 2010 Scotties Tissue Design Challenge!

Benjamin's art has touched the lives of many people and is featured in the Gluckstein Personal Injury Lawyers New ICU Waiting Lounge on the 9th floor of St. Michael's Hospital and throughout the Hamilton General Hospital.

Cast your vote daily! You can cast your vote until January 16, 2011 on the Scotties Design Website. On February 7, 2011, the semi-finalist submissions will be reviewed by the Scotties Judging Panel based on the criteria of uniqueness, fit with the Scotties brand and voting results. Each vote cast daily will bring Benjamin closer to winning a $10,000 Room Renovation and seeing his design produced and available in stores across Canada!

The designs are in, let the voting begin! We hope to have worldwide support for Benjamin!

Inspire the lives of others-please forward this contest information to your contacts and friends or consider posting the link to your Facebook wall or status.

Ben's winning design is the first Box Design on the far left of the Scotties website. Ben's design has been chosen as one of the top 10 semi-finalist designs out of 25,000 entries. Ben has become quite an accomplished artist. He was able to take a trip to Vancouver for the 2010 Paralympics and present paintings to each of the 56 Canadian Paralympians competing in the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games.

To see more of Ben's paintings, please visit www.bensloetjes.com. Ben is a survivor, whose story emphasizes achievement and not disability. He became a new and different Ben to his family and discovered a new and beautiful talent.

Benjamin Sloetjes was a fun-loving 18 year-old, who was a budding musician, athletic, with great potential and a real zest for life. On September 19, 2002, he was working on his car on his driveway when the car fell on top of him, crushing him under its weight, leaving his brain oxygen-starved for 20 minutes. He was forced to begin anew as an acquired brain injury survivor. He did not return home to his family until April of 2003. He was put through a long course of intensive therapies that lasted for years. Prior to his accident, Ben had never shown much interest or aptitude in art, but he was given the opportunity to continue his therapy through painting.

All art requires courage. - Anne Tucker, Artist

If you've ever heard of art being therapy...well, Ben's story is a true testament to this theory. His artwork is therapeutic and gives him a great sense of purpose in his life.

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. - Henry Ward Beecher, Artist