The rehabilitation and healthcare communities in British Columbia and Alberta are mourning the death of Kate Thompson, a respected physiotherapist whose career was built around helping people move with greater confidence, recover from injury, and regain independence.
Kate died on Saturday, July 25, 2026. She was 39 years old.
Her death has left family, friends, colleagues, patients, and members of the wider physiotherapy community grieving the loss of a healthcare professional remembered not only for her clinical knowledge, but also for the warmth, encouragement, and genuine care she brought to the people around her.
For Kate, physiotherapy was more than a profession. It was a way of helping people reclaim parts of their lives that pain, injury, illness, pregnancy, surgery, or chronic conditions had made difficult.
Kate Thompson was a highly regarded physiotherapist whose professional life reflected her belief that movement could play a powerful role in healing and improving quality of life.
Her work brought together scientific knowledge, practical rehabilitation, and a deeply personal approach to patient care. She worked with people dealing with a wide range of conditions, including orthopedic injuries, hip pain, neck and shoulder problems, post-operative recovery, pregnancy and postpartum concerns, and osteoarthritis.
Patients often came to physiotherapy during some of the most frustrating periods of their lives. For many, ordinary activities had become difficult because of pain or reduced mobility.
Kate’s role was not simply to treat a physical problem. She helped people understand their bodies, build strength, regain confidence, and gradually return to the activities that mattered most to them.
That approach became central to the legacy she leaves behind.
