Carnegie Hero About to Lose Her Home

On May 26, 2018, I was driving to an event and I approached the rail crossing at Broadway Avenue in Chilliwack. There, stuck on the tracks in a motorized wheelchair was 40-year-old Matthew Jarvis. As a train travelling at about 75 kilometres per hour approached, myself and another woman tried to lift the wheelchair out from the path of the train. With my back to the train, full straddle across the tracks, I looked behind me just in time. Matthew died, and the train struck my hand. I sustained shattered bones in my hand that were unable to be fixed and required surgery to close my gaping wound.

For my efforts, I was one of 18 civilians recognized with a medal by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission a fund that recognizes heroic actions in the U.S. and Canada. I was also recognized by the Governor General of Canada. Unfortunately, the incident has been life-changing and traumatizing for me. I have had a partial amputation of the middle finger on my right hand and a complete amputation of my right ring and pinky finger and now use a prosthetic on my right hand, which I was only able to purchase with the generosity of others. I also suffer from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) as well as numerous other physical and psychological injuries which continue to present as a result of this incident.

My life has been consumed by medical appointments, surgeries, hospital visits, medication and therapy; the therapy which I can no longer afford but desperately need. I can no longer work, can no longer do the activities I once enjoyed, and am in constant pain daily. Every aspect of my life has been impacted and my situation continues to deteriorate as I currently more than five years since the incident.

As a result of this incident, I struggle daily with significant financial pressures. I can no longer afford the basic necessities of life at this point and have had to rely on the Food Bank and the generosity of others. On top of all of this, I can no longer afford my mortgage and my home is currently in the middle of foreclosure proceedings. It is only a matter of time before I am left homeless, with nowhere to live and no one to take me in.

Any assistance is greatly appreciated at this time to help me with the significant financial burden I have had to face as a result of this incident and to assist with the basic necessities of life, such as food, water and shelter as I face the imminent foreclosure on my home.

(Photo: Jenna Hauck/Chilliwack Progress, January 10, 2024)