Donate to Help Cover Medical and Lawyer Fees

Hi, My name is Zac and in April of 2022, I had both of my legs amputated below the knee.

I was born with a genetic deformity called Clubbed Foot Syndrome; I went through countless surgeries to correct this from the moment I was born until about 18 years old. Despite the diagnosis, I lived a very normal and active life. I worked full-time with no problems, I regularly went to the gym, and I played recreational sports with my friends and family.

In September 2020 I had a workplace injury to my right knee and ankle. Doctors were puzzled by the pain I was in as MRIs and X-Rays (of the knee) showed no damage other than a strain on the knee; This injury was covered by Worksafe BC. I returned to work 3 months later despite still being in pain and not finding the cause. I worked for a year with this pain, I received a comment from a co-worker regarding my GAIT worsening and decided to book an appointment with a specialist. That was when I found out I had multiple fractures between both of my feet as well as bone issues in the ankles. Doctors then hypothesized that the reason I was feeling the pain in my knee was due to my lack of sensation below the knee from the spinal surgery I had when I was 12 years old.

The issues in my feet were rolling my ankle and putting pressure on the outside of my knee with every step, thus causing the pain I had felt in my knee. With this information, I was sent down to Vancouver to see an orthopedic surgeon. This is when I was presented with two options for correcting my injury; Because the fractures occurred in 2020 and I had been working on them for a year, they were healed in a very poor state. My surgeon stated I could fuse all the bones in my feet, though this would cause me extreme pain and discomfort for the rest of my life as well as the inability to work and be active. Or amputation, which would give me the ability to continue working and live a healthy, active lifestyle. I chose amputation and the surgery was performed in April 2022.

Why do I need a lawyer? Worksafe BC is denying my claim to cover my medical expenses despite the fact my surgeon has stated the workplace injury exasperated my clubbed feet issues, thus causing the need for amputation. Worksafe is denying my claim even though they cannot discriminate against pre-existing medical conditions. As I was walking, working, playing sports, and living a generally "normal" life prior to the injury.

What happens if I win the claim? It is very important that I fight to win this claim as doing so would greatly enhance my life post-amputation.

-Worksafe BC would have to pay my outstanding medical bills and any future medical bills regarding prosthetics or my amputation.

-Any travel that I need to do for prosthetic fitting or general check-ups would have to be covered by Worksafe (I do not live within 700km of a prosthetist so I constantly need to travel for any work to be done on them).

-All prosthetics would be completely covered and Worksafe pays for the higher-up products and materials that standard BC healthcare will not cover.

-The ability to own multiple sets of legs for different activities throughout my lifetime (ex; running blades, swimming legs, shower legs, weightlifting legs, etc.)

What will I do with the donations? I will be putting all of the donations into paying for my lawyer fees to fight for the win in this claim. Any extra money that is donated will go towards paying outstanding medical bills (prosthetists are not fully covered under BC health insurance so every visit can cost me personally $1000 or more; and I, unfortunately, see prosthetists a lot in the early stages of adjusting to life post-amputation). If there is still money left over after lawyer fees and outstanding medical bills are paid, I will put the rest into trying to get better products for my legs as BC healthcare gives you the bare minimum in prosthetic technology.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my story.

Zac,