Surgery Fundraiser for Ian Rutledge
Donation protected
Introduction:
My name is Dirk Pritchard. I am organizing this GoFundMe on behalf of my uncle, Ian Rutledge. He is married to Lou, and has two daughters, Renee and Kimberley. Ian and his family live on a ranch in Zimbabwe, Africa, where I too grew up before immigrating to Canada in 2007.
(Ian and Lou)
The ranch, named Twin Springs, is located in the Midlands Black Rhino Conservancy. It has an abundance of wild game including eland, sable, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, leopard, small herds of transient rhino and elephant, and many more. The prosperity of these animals relies upon tireless conservation efforts from the Rutledge’s. The property functions as a cattle ranch, photographic safari and small scale plains game hunting destination.
The reason I am helping in this way, is due to an unfortunate accident that Ian suffered on the ranch on April 27th 2020. We are looking to raise a total of $35500 CAD (27000 USD). $26000 CAD (20000 USD) will go directly towards medical bills, and $9500 CAD (7000 USD) will go towards lost income that has resulted from Ian’s absence.
What happened?
One of Ian’s beautiful Boran cows gave birth to a calf on April 26th. The cow and calf had been placed in a field to graze, in front of the Rutledge’s home. By late evening, the cow and calf were temporarily missing, so Ian and daughter Renee went out to try to locate them. Renee spotted them on the edge of a thicket, and they made a plan to slowly herd the two animals back towards the house for the evening.
("The" cow and her calf)
Ian walked towards the cow and calf, taking his cap off as a distraction to try and turn the cow away which was facing him. In an instant, due to what must have been motherly instinct, the cow charged Ian and knocked him flat to the ground, leaving him gasping for air. He immediately knew he had a severe problem as his lumbar spine area exploded in pain, and he began to experience an unusual, lower body tingling. Renee was close at hand and tried to get Ian breathing again but he could only manage very short, shallow breaths. In spite of all the pain, Ian could still feel his legs and feet which was a relief.
Renee immediately sent a message back to the house for Lou to come with a vehicle and flat board to help. Ian was driven, lying down, back to the homestead on Twin Springs, where Lou called their family doctor for help and guidance. Andy, (the family doctor) arranged for Lou to drive Ian to the nearest town of Kwekwe (about an hour and fifteen minute drive away), to get a Pethadine injection to dull the pain. Once the injection was administered he was then transferred to an ambulance to begin the three hour drive to Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, for further assessment. He was driven about an hour towards Harare, to a town called Chegutu, where he switched into another ambulance, then continued the journey. They finally reached Harare about six hours after leaving Twin Springs. Events became a bit blurry for Ian at this point as he underwent several x-rays, ultra-sounds and an MRI. It was discovered that Ian had sustained a fracture to his lumbar spine (L1), and would have to undergo surgery. The MRI was used to determine what type of surgery would be best suited, and it was decided that open back surgery would be necessary due to the severity of the injury.
(Ian in hospital)
About 36 hours after the accident, Ian went into surgery to have rods placed on either side of the fractured vertebrae, which were pinned above and below with six screws. The surgeon also relieved pressure on the spinal cord which had caused the aforementioned tingling in the pelvic region resulting in a loss of bladder control.
(The rods and screws)
Recovery and the road ahead:
Post-surgery, Ian has been prescribed six weeks of complete bed rest. He has had to “relearn” to gain bladder control. Ian also has to wear a thoracic-lumbar spine brace to be used while lying down, while transferring to the wheel chair, and for any brief sitting he does during the six week period.
(Ian in the wheel chair)
For someone as active as Ian is, always on the go, it's truly disheartening to imagine the extend of his injury's impact. His regular jogs, as well as bouncing around the ranch in his old land rover while checking on the cattle and tending to the wildlife, will surely all take a backseat now. Ian was discharged from hospital after nine days and is staying with friends in Harare, with Lou at his side, tending to his needs 24/7. In Ian’s absence from the farm, his daughter Renee (23) has given up starting her new job, in order to run the ranch. Help has been provided by a young man, York, and his family, who have moved to Twin Springs for the foreseeable future. They have been helping with the cattle and the ongoing poaching issues which affect the multitudes of wild game on the Ranch.
Once the six weeks bed rest is complete, Ian will have to undergo many weeks of physiotherapy before he is hopefully able to resume what will be an altered regular day life. As his body’s ability to respond to the bed rest and physiotherapy is not fully known yet, Ian’s time line to return home is indefinite.
(His back, post surgery)
What the funds will be used for:
$26000 CAD will go towards helping to pay for the surgery and medical bills. Zimbabwe has no form of socialized healthcare, therefore all the medical expenses were paid out of pocket.
$9500 CAD will go towards the income loss that has, and will, result from Ian’s indefinite absence from the ranch. He is unable to guide, or do anything physical for the foreseeable future.
How the funds will help:
The total cost of the various tests, surgery and rehabilitation which are paid out of pocket results in a huge financial burden being placed on Ian and his family. For those of you not familiar with the dire political and economic situation in Zimbabwe, there has been a collapse of the economy and a decimation of the tourism industry, on which the Rutledge’s directly rely. Business has been difficult for many years now. The money raised with this GoFundMe campaign will allow them to stay afloat in the coming months while Ian is recovering. By covering the medical costs, this will assist the family to keep the ranch and its’ approximately 20 employees functioning as best they can. It is due to these extenuating circumstances that I have decided to ask for help in this way.
(Some game on Twin Springs)
If additional funds are raised:
We are looking to raise $35500 CAD. If donations were to exceed this, I assure you the money will not be wasted. Any additional funds raised will be put towards the everyday operation of the ranch. Specifically, the upkeep of resources for employees such as uniforms, radios and vehicles which are used daily to maintain the oasis that is Twin Springs. With no animals, comes no income. The money will allow for maintenance of the property as well as conservation efforts so the ranch may remain viable. All funds will go directly to Ian. Again, this is only if we exceed our target goal!
(Poached animals in the back of a vehicle)
How Ian will get the funds:
As I am raising the funds while I'm in Canada, I will be responsible for getting the money to Ian. From a bank account in Canada, where the funds will collect, I will then transfer them to Ian in Zimbabwe. This may not be possible in a lump sum, and it may take a bit of time due to bank restrictions in Zimbabwe, but rest assured the funds will get to where they belong!
Closing:
I encourage everyone to follow the "Subscribe to Updates" option on the GoFundMe page as I will post updates on Ian’s situation. If a monetary donation is not an option during these tough times, I know he would appreciate a short email of encouragement.
I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to read this. I know that a campaign like this is ill timed given the global pandemic, but unfortunately, this accident was also ill timed. If you can help, I know that Ian and his family would be forever grateful, and if you can’t, thank you for reading and stay safe!
My name is Dirk Pritchard. I am organizing this GoFundMe on behalf of my uncle, Ian Rutledge. He is married to Lou, and has two daughters, Renee and Kimberley. Ian and his family live on a ranch in Zimbabwe, Africa, where I too grew up before immigrating to Canada in 2007.
(Ian and Lou)The ranch, named Twin Springs, is located in the Midlands Black Rhino Conservancy. It has an abundance of wild game including eland, sable, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, leopard, small herds of transient rhino and elephant, and many more. The prosperity of these animals relies upon tireless conservation efforts from the Rutledge’s. The property functions as a cattle ranch, photographic safari and small scale plains game hunting destination.
The reason I am helping in this way, is due to an unfortunate accident that Ian suffered on the ranch on April 27th 2020. We are looking to raise a total of $35500 CAD (27000 USD). $26000 CAD (20000 USD) will go directly towards medical bills, and $9500 CAD (7000 USD) will go towards lost income that has resulted from Ian’s absence.
What happened?
One of Ian’s beautiful Boran cows gave birth to a calf on April 26th. The cow and calf had been placed in a field to graze, in front of the Rutledge’s home. By late evening, the cow and calf were temporarily missing, so Ian and daughter Renee went out to try to locate them. Renee spotted them on the edge of a thicket, and they made a plan to slowly herd the two animals back towards the house for the evening.
("The" cow and her calf)Ian walked towards the cow and calf, taking his cap off as a distraction to try and turn the cow away which was facing him. In an instant, due to what must have been motherly instinct, the cow charged Ian and knocked him flat to the ground, leaving him gasping for air. He immediately knew he had a severe problem as his lumbar spine area exploded in pain, and he began to experience an unusual, lower body tingling. Renee was close at hand and tried to get Ian breathing again but he could only manage very short, shallow breaths. In spite of all the pain, Ian could still feel his legs and feet which was a relief.
Renee immediately sent a message back to the house for Lou to come with a vehicle and flat board to help. Ian was driven, lying down, back to the homestead on Twin Springs, where Lou called their family doctor for help and guidance. Andy, (the family doctor) arranged for Lou to drive Ian to the nearest town of Kwekwe (about an hour and fifteen minute drive away), to get a Pethadine injection to dull the pain. Once the injection was administered he was then transferred to an ambulance to begin the three hour drive to Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, for further assessment. He was driven about an hour towards Harare, to a town called Chegutu, where he switched into another ambulance, then continued the journey. They finally reached Harare about six hours after leaving Twin Springs. Events became a bit blurry for Ian at this point as he underwent several x-rays, ultra-sounds and an MRI. It was discovered that Ian had sustained a fracture to his lumbar spine (L1), and would have to undergo surgery. The MRI was used to determine what type of surgery would be best suited, and it was decided that open back surgery would be necessary due to the severity of the injury.
(Ian in hospital)About 36 hours after the accident, Ian went into surgery to have rods placed on either side of the fractured vertebrae, which were pinned above and below with six screws. The surgeon also relieved pressure on the spinal cord which had caused the aforementioned tingling in the pelvic region resulting in a loss of bladder control.
(The rods and screws)Recovery and the road ahead:
Post-surgery, Ian has been prescribed six weeks of complete bed rest. He has had to “relearn” to gain bladder control. Ian also has to wear a thoracic-lumbar spine brace to be used while lying down, while transferring to the wheel chair, and for any brief sitting he does during the six week period.
(Ian in the wheel chair)For someone as active as Ian is, always on the go, it's truly disheartening to imagine the extend of his injury's impact. His regular jogs, as well as bouncing around the ranch in his old land rover while checking on the cattle and tending to the wildlife, will surely all take a backseat now. Ian was discharged from hospital after nine days and is staying with friends in Harare, with Lou at his side, tending to his needs 24/7. In Ian’s absence from the farm, his daughter Renee (23) has given up starting her new job, in order to run the ranch. Help has been provided by a young man, York, and his family, who have moved to Twin Springs for the foreseeable future. They have been helping with the cattle and the ongoing poaching issues which affect the multitudes of wild game on the Ranch.
Once the six weeks bed rest is complete, Ian will have to undergo many weeks of physiotherapy before he is hopefully able to resume what will be an altered regular day life. As his body’s ability to respond to the bed rest and physiotherapy is not fully known yet, Ian’s time line to return home is indefinite.
(His back, post surgery)What the funds will be used for:
$26000 CAD will go towards helping to pay for the surgery and medical bills. Zimbabwe has no form of socialized healthcare, therefore all the medical expenses were paid out of pocket.
$9500 CAD will go towards the income loss that has, and will, result from Ian’s indefinite absence from the ranch. He is unable to guide, or do anything physical for the foreseeable future.
How the funds will help:
The total cost of the various tests, surgery and rehabilitation which are paid out of pocket results in a huge financial burden being placed on Ian and his family. For those of you not familiar with the dire political and economic situation in Zimbabwe, there has been a collapse of the economy and a decimation of the tourism industry, on which the Rutledge’s directly rely. Business has been difficult for many years now. The money raised with this GoFundMe campaign will allow them to stay afloat in the coming months while Ian is recovering. By covering the medical costs, this will assist the family to keep the ranch and its’ approximately 20 employees functioning as best they can. It is due to these extenuating circumstances that I have decided to ask for help in this way.
(Some game on Twin Springs)If additional funds are raised:
We are looking to raise $35500 CAD. If donations were to exceed this, I assure you the money will not be wasted. Any additional funds raised will be put towards the everyday operation of the ranch. Specifically, the upkeep of resources for employees such as uniforms, radios and vehicles which are used daily to maintain the oasis that is Twin Springs. With no animals, comes no income. The money will allow for maintenance of the property as well as conservation efforts so the ranch may remain viable. All funds will go directly to Ian. Again, this is only if we exceed our target goal!
(Poached animals in the back of a vehicle)How Ian will get the funds:
As I am raising the funds while I'm in Canada, I will be responsible for getting the money to Ian. From a bank account in Canada, where the funds will collect, I will then transfer them to Ian in Zimbabwe. This may not be possible in a lump sum, and it may take a bit of time due to bank restrictions in Zimbabwe, but rest assured the funds will get to where they belong!
Closing:
I encourage everyone to follow the "Subscribe to Updates" option on the GoFundMe page as I will post updates on Ian’s situation. If a monetary donation is not an option during these tough times, I know he would appreciate a short email of encouragement.
I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to read this. I know that a campaign like this is ill timed given the global pandemic, but unfortunately, this accident was also ill timed. If you can help, I know that Ian and his family would be forever grateful, and if you can’t, thank you for reading and stay safe!
Organizer
Dirk Pritchard
Organizer
Calgary, AB