Herb's Spinal Cord Journey

On November 14th, our family received a call everyone fears. “Your dad (Herb) has been in an accident” a quick pause later, “he is alive, but he can’t move”. Those words are forever etched in my memory.

My Dad, Herb, works as a NRO with the Ministry of Forests, an avid outdoorsman and hunter, father of two, and grandfather. One word to describe him is selfless, he is always helping others and has never asked for anything in return.

What happened

Quesnel: on November 14th my dad was completing an Arborist "tree job" in downtown Quesnel cutting down a large hazardous oak tree in a clients front yard. During this particular job he was secured by harness up the tree approx. 20 ft in the air. He uses top quality safety gear, which includes helmets, spurs, arborist saddle belts, steel cord lanyards (for attaching multiple saws) and ropes. He recalls limbing branches and feeling a major thud to the top of his helmet. He lost consciousness. He regained consciousness to the sound of someone saying “Do you need help? Do you want me to call 911?”. He said, “yes and yes”. He was hanging upside down, chain saw running and realized immediately that he couldn’t lift his arms to pull himself up. Shortly after, police, fire and ambulance were on scene. Fire used their ladders and were able to safely bring him to the ground where he was then transported to the GR Baker hospital. He was hanging upside down for about 40 minutes. My dad lost the ability to move his body but has no brain damage. After several tests it was concluded that no fractures or breaks occurred. After consultation with specialists the Quesnel hospital decided to air lift Herb to VGH in the middle of the night for an MRI and more specialized spine resources.

Vancouver: Since the arrival to VGH it has been concluded that my dad is suffering from incomplete central cord syndrome. Since his arrival small amounts of movement has come back to his left side. He has feeling in his right side, but voluntary movement on that side is difficult.

This life-altering injury will not only change his physical abilities but will also impact every aspect of his life. The road to recovery is long, and the journey ahead is filled with medical treatments (possible surgery), rehabilitation, and major adjustments to his home and daily routine.

Dad will need specialized care, a modified vehicle for transportation, and significant changes to his living space to ensure he can live as independently as possible.

Your support will directly contribute to:

• Medical expenses not covered by MSP, including therapies, and ongoing treatments.

• Rehabilitation costs to help dad regain mobility and independence.

• Home and vehicle modifications to accommodate his new needs and improve his quality of life.

My Dad has always been a fighter with a positive outlook on life, and we hope to give him the tools he needs to rebuild his life. This page has been created to share the facts of what has happened and share updates along the way. Should you choose, every donation, no matter how big or small, makes a difference and brings him one step closer to regaining independence.

Thank you for your kindness, your support, and your thoughts during this difficult time. It means the world to Dad, myself and my family.

Updates:

Week of Nov 14th- My mom and brother drove down immediately when he was airlifted to VGH. I arrived on the 23rd. We will be staying down here (intermittently/rotating) during the length of his stay. Support, help and encouragement are a must! He signed up for a research study at the hospital which can hopefully help more people with this injury in the future.

Week of Nov 23th- Herb still has a feeding tube, and IV's in. He has made a lot of progress on his left side and can lift his left arm and move several fingers. On his right side he can straighten his leg and lift his arm/shoulder. All movements are the equivalent of running a marathon. He is very stiff but has started to be lifted into a wheelchair daily to regain some core strength. We were able to get a "wheelchair license" and can take dad out for some fresh air (as an avid outdoorsman this is a great step to recovery) its cold out but he loved it! He attends physio daily to work on neck, back and core strength. As well as a visit from the speech pathologist to work on swallowing in hope of getting rid of the feeding tube in the near future. He was able to eat his first meal Nov 27th! Yay!

Week of Nov 30th - Dad has officially been moved out of VGH to GF strong and place in a transition. He is in a shared room, and visiting hours are cut back slightly (not 24hrs) but this move is a good thing, it means that the nerves that are firing are enough that physio can work with! He has made significant strides with his left arm, even fed himself a sausage and held an empty cup to assist with teeth brushing! Reach and grip will be two areas of focus I'm sure. On Monday he met some physio team and they were able to sit him on a mat, and work on unassisted sitting, with a bit of core balancing left to right. He really enjoyed some outside time and kept my mom entertained while he named all the tree species in the outdoor space. Oh, and the feeding tube and all IV's are out!

Week of December 7th - Dad has had alot of progress this past week since arriving at GF strong. He has gained motor skills in his right knee and right thumb. Yahoo! Because his left side and core has been getting alot stronger quickly the PT tested his ability to transfer weight on a board. This assists in the skill to move from chair to bed! It was a success. He also recieved the quickie 5000, a motorized wheel chair that allows him some freedom as long as he's supervised. Monday, was a tear jerker... he was assisted in standing for a few minutes today. Smile on face says it all.

Week of Dec 13th - Small incremental improvements have him able to shift from his bed to the chair with just minimal assistance to lift his legs (no board needed). He has taken steps along the walking rail with assistance and now has a "gym" pass to go down to an area called the Three Peaks where he can practice his standing, stepping in place and use the bike system to strengthen his hips, thighs and calves. He put on 5.6 kms the other day! He has his full "driver's" license now for his chair which means he can go anywhere without assistance.

Week of Dec 20th - Not alot of changes this week, working on staying positive during the holiday season and strengthening the hips with various apparatuses assisted by the OT, RA and PT.

Week of Dec 27th - After a few set backs last week the forward momentum has continued, dad has a date to move to the next level of rehab on the 2nd floor and even an xray appointment for Jan 7th to see if he will be able to remove his collar. Most impressively he completed a couple sets of 4 and 6 inch stairs for the first time! Not only that but he can also walk very short distances with a cane when he isn't fatigued. We're super proud of his determination and all the messages and well wishes are read to him daily!

Week of Jan 4th - Happy New Year it is, Lots of big things happening this week --- Dad was accepted into the full rehab program and is now starting to get into the nitty gritty of recovery. Two amazing things also happened this past week, 1 - his grip strength on right hand registered 20 when last week it did not pick up a reading! and 2 - He had an x-ray which allowed him to finally remove his neck brace!! Yahoo -- things are progressing positively and although there is still a ton or work to go, he is smiling with these newest achievements!

Week of Jan 11th - Dad had lots of visits this week which included the whole gang at one point or another, we believe connection is a big key to recovery. He is continuing with full rehab which his daily routine consists of Physio, Range of Motion, Bowel routine, occupational therapy and rec. This week his is officially tube free!!!

Week of Jan 18th - appointments, appointments, and a few more appointments, tests and more rehab. The days are slow but the weeks are fast, at this stage dad is working on building strength with everything he's got because.... he has a potential discharge date!!!! March 18th is the goal.

Week of Jan 25th- Rehab on the right arm continueds as it's having a bit of a time compared to the rest. Fatigue causes nerve pain and tensing up the shoulders, biceps and pecs to extremes. Dr's and Physio are trying everything they can to get some resolve.

Week of Feb 1st - Approval to walk without a stick indoors has happened which is positive because that means he's feeling confident with his hips! This week he went on a field trip with rec to try some adaptive curling.

Week if Feb 8th - Concentration continues on the right side, shoulders arms and fingers. Walking form with the right leg continues to be a struggle but working on building strength more and more. Progress is smaller these days, but working on endurance increases and strength. Motorized chair is officially gone!

Week of Feb 15/22nd - Dad has continued to work on endurance, Dr's are trying to figure out strategies to prevent his shoulders/chest from tightening up (this causes pain and prevents him from continuing activities). He has his driver's rehab testing scheduled for March 4th. This is one of the final hurdles to creating the discharge plan. Lee has been busy with home renovations which are limited to bathrooms at this time.

Week of Mar 1/Mar8 - The day is finally here! Dad has been given his official release date of March 15th. He passed his drivers examination with flying colors and will not have any further appointments in the near future in Vancouver. The road to recovery isn't done yet, some home renos still need to be completed and lots of physical therapy still in the future. But HOME! We are so proud of my dad and his determination!