Kyles Spinal Cord Recovery And Rehab

My name is Sheila Tkachuk and I’m writing on behalf of myself, my son Kyle, his dad Conrad and brother Jordan.. On September 1st 2018, I received a phone call that is every mother’s worst nightmare. I was told that my son, Kyle, was in a motor vehicle accident, and was being transported by air ambulance from St. Paul Alberta to the Royal Alexandra hospital in Edmonton. Waiting for him to arrive was the longest wait of my life. Kyle arrived on a stretcher, bruised and unconscious. We waited in the waiting room for what seemed like an eternity while they stabilized him and assessed his injuries. The doctor came out and gave us the news that Kyle was in a coma, and that they were going to keep him in a coma to protect him from further injury. He had significant damage to his spine. He would require surgery to stabilize his spine and try to repair any damage. I prayed and hoped that this was all just a horrible nightmare, but it was real. After Kyle came out of surgery, the doctor gave us the devastating news that Kyle had a complete spinal cord injury and that he would be paralyzed from the chest down at the T5 level, and that he would likely be wheelchair bound. This was devastating to all of us and our lives are now changed forever.Currently Kyle is at the Glenrose Rehabilitation hospital and he is learning how to be independent. It’s very hard work, mentally and physically, but he is determined. Every day of hard work gets him closer to being discharged so he can begin his “new normal” life. We are just finding out how expensive medical equipment like stair lifts, wheelchairs, modified vehicles, transfer boards, wheelchair ramps, wheelchair lifts, home care aids, and renovations will cost us. The doctors have told us we will know after about a year whether Kyle will get any feeling back below his injury. We are praying it happens. We are also looking at specialized rehabilitation and or stem cell research to give him all the support and opportunity to walk again. We simply do not have the money for all of these absolute necessities. There is some help coming in, but not nearly enough. I never in a million years thought that this would ever happen to my son, and that I would be in the position that I am in now having to ask for help. Our whole world has been tipped upside down. Helping Kyle live as independently and productively as he can is our main goal. He is just 23 and has his whole life ahead of him. Before this injury he was working and living on his own. We want to make that happen again. He is a hard worker, kind and gentle, and has an amazing positive attitude. He has taught us all a lot. It is so hard to ask for help, but unfortunately we have no choice. I am humbly asking for financial help. We don’t want to ask but Kyle needs it.Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.Sheila Tkachuk