As you know, Derek suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury and impact trauma while backcountry skiing in January 2024. Following a month in ICU at Foothills, Derek progressed enough to move to the spinal cord injury clinic. He’s been in a rehab unit since April where he’s making huge strides. In a testament to his will, determination and progression toward independent living, Derek is now able to take steps on his own with the support of specialized equipment in the rehab unit! He is gaining motor skills in his hands, and has even been able to take public transit on his own. Derek’s ultimate goal is to get back to the mountain community he loves, and live as independently as possible. To help him get there, he will require at least a couple years of intensive physio, recreational and occupational therapy at a clinic that specializes in spinal cord injury. Insurance will cover his long-term care, but additional funds are required to ensure he can attend the specialist clinic at least 4 times per week. We’re asking for the support of his friends, family, and community to help raise $50,000 to cover specialist clinic costs to give him the best treatment possible. Funds will also help cover the costs of his sister moving from Singapore to Calgary to help him navigate this journey. Your support in this phase of Derek’s recovery will help him toward gaining more independence getting him back to the community and workplace that love and miss him fiercely. Timeline of Derek's injury and progress so far: 29 January 2024: While skiing in the backcountry with his friends near Fernie, Derek hit a tree head-on and broke his neck succumbing to a severe spinal cord injury. Thank you to Mike, Ken, Jeremy, the kind strangers on scene, and Fernie search & rescue for getting him off the mountain. February: Post-surgery, Derek is dependent on a ventilator to breathe. He can shrug his shoulders and barely move his right arm. At this juncture, his spinal cord injury classification is C4-C5 Complete Asia A (0% chance of walking) with very limited sensation and mobility. Derek improved on his breathing capability and was able to progress to a tracheotomy and started some rehab exercises in the ICU. With the removal of the trach, Derek was able to speak for the very first time since the injury and was discharged from ICU and moved into the Spinal Unit. March: After a month and a half, Derek successfully passed his swallow assessment and was able to eat solid food and drink for the first time post-injury. He is now able to tolerate two 30 min rehab sessions per day. Derek regained movement in both arms, however with no finger dexterity and wrist function. Derek’s appetite improved and he started to gain weight and was ready to head into the Rehabilitation unit. Mid March: Derek began more intensive therapy sessions in the Rehabilitation unit and regained wrist flexion on his right hand. He regained the ability to feel his bowel movement which resulted in a reclassification of his injury assessment to Asia B (25% chance of walking). April: Derek regained the ability to move his toes which resulted in a reclassification of his injury assessment to Asia C (50% chance of walking) With continued therapy sessions involving electric stimulation on his muscles, he began noticing flickers of movement in his fingers and legs. May - July: Derek’s therapy sessions start from 830 am to 4 pm from Monday to Friday and he has continued to make progress. August: Using a specialized aparatus that supports a portion of his body weight and allows for independent feet movement, Derek has been able to engage the muscles in his legs and take steps on his own. This is a huge advancement toward walking independently. September: Derek moved from the Foothills Special Services building into a long-term care facility where he will continue to receive physio and occupational therapy to re-learn skills toward independent living.
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