Windsor’s Danielle Campo named Canadian Walk of Fame ‘national hero’

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When officials from the Canadian Walk of Fame contacted former Paralympian Danielle Campo a few weeks ago to tell her they would like to arrange a video call, she thought they wanted her to come up with names to nominate for the honour. 

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“They had told me about the National Hero Award. And honestly, I thought … that they were going to ask me to nominate someone,” the Windsor native told the Star. 

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“I’m literally thinking of like, ‘OK, who are athletes I know that I competed with that are still doing a lot in the community?’” 

And then the Walk of Fame organizer told Campo why she was on the call. She had been named as the recipient of the National Hero Award for her perseverance, her triumph over adversity, her work as an award-winning inspirational speaker and her work with groups such as Muscular Dystrophy Canada. 

Campo didn’t believe it at first. “I said to them, ‘Can you say that again, one more time?’” 

Diagnosed incorrectly with muscular dystrophy at the age of two, Campo was much later correctly diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy — a genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness and degeneration, which means she deals with chronic back pain. 

She took to swimming as a therapy and won multiple gold medals at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Paralympic Games. 

Campo received her National Hero Honour at a ceremony in Toronto Nov. 20, accompanied by her husband, Dennis McLeod. 

“It was like a Cinderella story,” Campo chuckled. “My poor husband. I thought our wedding was our most beautiful night of my life and now I’m like, this might be either tied for first or close second.” 

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Rick Hansen, also a champion Paralympian best known for his Man in Motion wheelchair world tour in the mid-1980s, presented Campo with the award. 

“I was a little girl in school in Windsor and (Hansen) came to our school and shared about ‘don’t let your disability stop you,’ Campo said.

She’s carried those inspirational words around with her ever since. “So to have this full-circle moment and to have him give me this award, it was so incredible.” 

Campo now does private coaching and motivational speaking events, discussing leadership, resiliency and the importance of being inspired. She encourages people to “push through those difficult moments.” 

The key is to “take that pain and give it purpose and understand that, within our struggles, we have the skills we need not only to survive but to thrive,” she said. 

Campo credits a supportive environment for her success.  

“I’m so grateful to Windsor and Essex County because I have the best support system or fans. (They) lit candles and prayed for me and stand behind me. Although these are national awards, I am so proud to be representing Windsor and Essex County.” 

It’s been a good year for Campo. On top of the National Hero Award, earlier in November she won the title of Inspirational Speaker of the Year in a contest run by Speaker Slam, a speaker development agency, on the topic of being brave. 

And she’s still conquering her physical challenges with gusto. “I turn 40 on Jan. 4, so that’s a joke in my family — I’m trying to do ‘all you can do, 40 and under,’” she said.

“So I’m packing the last couple of months.” 

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