Help Support the Bakers

On August 1st Gary Baker suffered a major brain hemorrage while playing soccer. His teammates called an ambulance to rush him to the hospital since they assumed it was a concussion. When doctors realized it was actually a ruptured aneurysm, they transferred him to Kelowna to be seen by the neurosurgeon. Gary had excessive bleeding in his brain so they flew him immediately to Vancouver General Hospital for surgery.  Surgery went well and doctors managed to reduce the pressure on his brain and clamp the aneurysm to stop the bleeding. While he is still very vulnerable and there are many risks ahead, we’ve been seeing many positive signs. He has already opened his eyes and can follow some of the doctor’s basic commands. Unfortunately, this will not be a quick recovery, it could take months or even years for Gary to recover.

Gary’s wife, Erica, and their four daughters are looking to set up a more permanent residence in Vancouver so they can be with Gary during his recovery. While many friends and family have offered their support, it’s becoming apparent to us (Erica’s sisters) that the biggest need during his recouvery will be financial. 

For those of you who don’t know, this past year Erica encouraged Gary as he took a leap of faith and went back to University. Gary has always had a voracious love of learning and they chose to accept this new financial strain in order to support Gary as he pursued an education and a new career direction. Meanwhile, Erica is already half way through her degree in Biochemistry and hopes to pursue a career in Epidemiology.  Over the summer, Gary and Erica continued to do a few timber-framing project through their business.  Gary also worked fulltime for another construction company in order to save money for the fall. It’s now clear that Gary won’t be able to work for several months at least, and we want to see Erica and the girls free to be with Gary as much as possible.

We are currently aiming to raise 50 thousand dollars for the Baker family. This money could set up a large enough fund to sustain them over the next unknown number of months, and allow them to make payments on Gary and Erica’s student loans. At this point we don’t know how long Gary’s recovery will take, or how long the family will need to stay in Vancouver, so anything you can give is a huge help for Gary, Erica, Alea, Erin, Bree and Keira during this difficult time.

Thanks so much for your love and concern.