Help 4yr Declan’s Fight to Recover from Dog Attack

“What's the bravest thing you ever said?” asked the boy.

“Help” said the horse.

“Asking for help isn't giving up,” said the horse, “it's refusing to give up.”

- Charlie Mackesy

(From his book “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”)

Dear Friends,

On Tuesday October 8, 2024, something unimaginable has happened…

Declan (aka Decy) MacDonell was brutally and horrifically mauled by a neighbor’s aggressive dog* in Cobourg, Ontario.

Your help is desperately needed to support this beautiful and beloved, sweet and silly 4 year old boy and his family as they proceed on an unimaginable healing journey.

After being rushed to Cobourg Hospital, Decy was transferred to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto for a 9 hour emergency surgery to save his young life. He has sustained devastatingly traumatic injuries and is currently sedated in ICU with his parents, Colin and Heather, by his side.

We don’t yet know how this is going to go, but we do know the path ahead will be challenging… and we are going to join together to help get them through this.

The MacDonells are a big hearted family bursting with an abundance of love. Declan started JK (junior kindergarten) this September and has had a promising start to the school year. Declan loves dinosaurs and when he grows up he wants to be a Paleontologist!

He is dearly loved by his big brother, Aiden (6), and little sister, Brynlee (1), his Nannie, and his aunts, uncle, cousins…. And honestly anyone who has met him. (I am related to this crew through my partner, who is Colin’s cousin.)

We are all still processing, with shock and horror, the gravity and weight of this all. The helplessness is palpable, but together we can help lessen a fraction of the load by providing financial assistance so that Declan’s parents and family can be by his side in the coming days, weeks, and beyond…

Your generous donation will be used to help with loss of the income for Declan’s parents as they agonize by his side. For their transport and accommodation near Sick Kids. And for all the other unknown costs that are to come (we will update as we know more about his condition and the road ahead).

Thank you to Northumberland EMS, Cobourg Police, the staff at Northumberland Hills Hospital and Sick Kids and all the friends, family and neighbours who have offered their support.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide and for sharing your love and spreading the word!!! xox

**********

“Hope is a muscle, a practice, a choice that actually propels new realities into being. And it’s a muscle we can strengthen”. -Krista Tippett

(*I have been advised that the dog may not have been a pitbull (and have updated accordingly), but regardless the attack happened and we are trying to focus our energy on Declan’s healing journey and are overwhelmed with the generosity of you all so far! Xox)