When Madison Paiment came to Western, she planned to follow the path she forged in high school, maintaining a near-perfect average, while juggling a full slate of extracurricular activities.
With her sights set on law school, the honours political science student also had a fixed timeline in mind for achieving her goals.
Her plans came crashing down with an unexpected fall during the first semester of second year. She suffered a concussion. A month later, another.
Paiment had experienced six prior concussions, often from episodes of fainting and dizziness throughout her life. But this time, her symptoms were more pronounced. Her migraines and nausea were debilitating, and chronic fatigue had her sleeping up to 16 hours a day.

Madison Paiment (Christopher Kindratsky/Western Communications)
“It totally disrupted my university experience,” said Paiment. “I could no longer attend lectures or go out with my friends.”
Instead of juggling activities she loved, she was managing multiple medical appointments and challenging symptoms, along with her ambitious academic expectations.
As she pushed herself to maintain top grades, Paiment’s physical and mental health declined. She soon had no choice but to withdraw for the semester – a devastating decision for the self-described perfectionist and high achiever.
“I felt I was letting myself, my parents and my professors down,” she said. “But my biggest concern was having ‘WDN’ (for withdrawn) on my transcript. I was so afraid of how those three letters would look when I went to apply for law school.”
When she returned for the winter semester, she resolved to take on a full course load, despite her persistent symptoms. Further medical testing revealed she had Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a chronic illness characterized by a rapid heart rate upon standing up, causing dizziness and fainting. She began medication, which sometimes made her dizziness worse.
She soon realized she needed help, an idea she grappled with most of her life.
“I’ve always believed in the importance of supporting others in their struggles, but when it came to my own health, I found it difficult to offer myself that same grace,” she said. “I felt as though I should be stronger, more resilient and better at managing my circumstances.”
“I had to let go of that thinking to reclaim my life.”
‘All in the same boat’
She found encouragement from her professors and academic advisor. With their support and that of Western’s Accessible Education office, Paiment received the academic accommodations she needed to perform at her potential.
They include flexible deadlines and longer exam times with 20-minute breaks.
While grateful for the support, Paiment said she still felt “very alone, because I didn’t know anyone else who was going through anything like it.”
Her view changed the first time she walked into an accommodated exam room.
“I thought I was going to be in a corner by myself, but there were 12 other people, all in the same boat. I didn’t know what was going on with them and they didn’t know what was going on with me, but it helped me see this wasn’t anything I needed to be embarrassed about,” Paiment said.

Madison Paiment (left) performs as Elle in the Theatre Western production of Legally Blonde, alongside business management and organizational studies student Swarang Vatve, as Emmett Forrest. (Theatre Western)
Reclaiming health and self, returning to the stage
Paiment also found resilience and strength, rekindling her passion for community theatre.
“Growing up, I was very involved in a lot of productions in the GTA,” the Whitby, Ont. native said. “At one point, I was doing four shows at a time. My parents were picking me up at school at 4 p.m. and I’d rehearse until 9 p.m. I still prioritized school, staying up late, getting everything done.”
When the COVID pandemic halted live productions, Paiment assumed without continuous practice, she’d never return to the stage.
But in her third year, her friend urged her to audition for the part of “Elle” in the Theatre Western production of Legally Blonde.
Paiment landed the role, and was thrilled, but worried about the physical exertion.
She credits a caring director and creative team with helping her succeed. Paiment wore her Apple watch onstage to monitor her heart rate and said cast members had her back – even as she became lightheaded during a live performance .
Playing Elle, a spunky student who enrolls in law school to win back her boyfriend but instead discovers herself, was part of Paiment’s own journey of self-empowerment, she said.
“It was just what I needed when everything was becoming too heavy. I also found it easier to put my health first, so I could show up for the other 30 cast members,” she said.

Madison Paiment as Elle in the Theatre Western production of Legally Blonde. (Theatre Western)
Lessons learned
Now in her fourth year, Paiment continues to prioritize her health.
As she watches her friends prepare to graduate this spring more than a year before her – Paiment admits, she’s experiencing some fear of missing out. But she also has a newfound perspective.
“I’m less worried about my life path changing now,” she said. “I think going through this is helping me evade my perfectionism.”
She’s also made peace with the withdrawn notation on her transcript, reframing the once daunting ‘WDN’ as “three irrelevant letters.”
“At first it was so hard to get past it, because I felt it implied I’d given up. But two years later, I can see that wasn’t the case,” she said.
It’s one of many lessons she’s learned, while making the dean’s list, completing a research internship and now serving as creative director for Theatre Western.
“My journey taught me it’s okay to lean on others, ask for help and take a different path. I’ve learned to redefine success and I know I’m not alone.”