Tristan’s Journey
Donation protected
My son Tristan was going fishing with his friend on Sunday night, July 21, 2019 when he was struck by a vehicle going 80+ km/hour. Tristan sustained many injuries including bruising to most of his organs, a broken leg and a severe traumatic brain injury. I am a single mom with two children one of which is Tristan and a daughter. I need to focus on Tristan’s rehabilitation and there will be lawyer costs and other rehabilitation and assistance equipment.
At the end of October 2019, Tristan finally came home from the hospital. The support we received at that time was tremendous and we greatly appreciate all of the effort that went into getting us to that point. Now we must once again call upon the community for help. A year has gone by and in that time a lot has changed; Tristan requires in-home care, he participates in home and clinic physiotherapy, practices simple math and is almost ready to have his tracheostomy tube removed.
Something that hasn’t changed is how much space he has to live in and the lack of privacy. Currently, he is situated in the living room and it has begun to steadily fill up with his medical supplies, equipment, and small personal items over this last year. As time goes on and his recovery progresses, he requires more equipment, larger equipment, more space, and the space has to be wheelchair and stretcher accessible. Since we rent our home, we cannot do any major renovations to fulfill basic needs such as an accessible shower and widened doorways so he can move through and out of the house with general ease.
Currently when he wants to get up into his chair, move around the house or go outside, most of the furniture on the main floor has to be moved to accommodate his chair and lift. The front door is useless since there is no ramp and nowhere to put one. The back door is slightly too small for his chair to pass through without having to twist and mash it through the opening. We are also anticipating the arrival of more bulky equipment and would like to get Tristan started on more at-home physiotherapy. This has been largely influenced by Covid-19 and the closure to outpatient intake at Parkwood Hospital.
On top of all this, he has not been able to see his room or visit his pets since his accident because his room is in the basement and there is no safe way to get him down the stairs. I think he would also feel greatly appreciative for the normality of being able to have a shower or bath after a year of bed baths. Overall, we want to give him his independence and room to further recover in his own space and at his own pace. Please help us to raise funds for a better, more accessible home for Tristan.
At the end of October 2019, Tristan finally came home from the hospital. The support we received at that time was tremendous and we greatly appreciate all of the effort that went into getting us to that point. Now we must once again call upon the community for help. A year has gone by and in that time a lot has changed; Tristan requires in-home care, he participates in home and clinic physiotherapy, practices simple math and is almost ready to have his tracheostomy tube removed.
Something that hasn’t changed is how much space he has to live in and the lack of privacy. Currently, he is situated in the living room and it has begun to steadily fill up with his medical supplies, equipment, and small personal items over this last year. As time goes on and his recovery progresses, he requires more equipment, larger equipment, more space, and the space has to be wheelchair and stretcher accessible. Since we rent our home, we cannot do any major renovations to fulfill basic needs such as an accessible shower and widened doorways so he can move through and out of the house with general ease.
Currently when he wants to get up into his chair, move around the house or go outside, most of the furniture on the main floor has to be moved to accommodate his chair and lift. The front door is useless since there is no ramp and nowhere to put one. The back door is slightly too small for his chair to pass through without having to twist and mash it through the opening. We are also anticipating the arrival of more bulky equipment and would like to get Tristan started on more at-home physiotherapy. This has been largely influenced by Covid-19 and the closure to outpatient intake at Parkwood Hospital.
On top of all this, he has not been able to see his room or visit his pets since his accident because his room is in the basement and there is no safe way to get him down the stairs. I think he would also feel greatly appreciative for the normality of being able to have a shower or bath after a year of bed baths. Overall, we want to give him his independence and room to further recover in his own space and at his own pace. Please help us to raise funds for a better, more accessible home for Tristan.
Organizer
Abby Roby
Organizer
London, ON
