Austin Desroches Cremation & Memorial Service

Austin grew up in Lafontaine, in Tiny Township Ontario. He was an avid hockey player growing up, and those who knew him know that it was his passion. Austin was very family oriented. He was a loving brother and uncle. He was his mother Carrie's best friend. Carrie and Chuck say that he was the best son that a parent could ask for. He was kind, loving, and hard working. Austin also loved his friends, fishing and boating with his family.

Austin graduated from Ecole Secondaire Le Caron in 2016, then Austin's family moved to Haliburton and he began working in construction. After a move he began his own commercial flooring company in Toronto. He worked at that for approximately a year and then began working for an RV company building modular homes. The job was very physical. After working there for approximately 9 weeks one of Austin's coworkers suggested that he see his doctor because he was complaining of knee pain.
 
Austin's mom Carrie drove him to the doctors office that Monday and he was told that he might have pulled a muscle. He was advised to take a week off and rest. Austin did as the doctor advised, but his pain did not improve and his mobility was declining. Within three weeks Austin was having constant pain and was unable to straighten his legs. His knees joints were effectively locked at a ninety degree angle. Austin had extensive testing including bloodwork, x rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRI scans. His declining health led him to the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children and Toronto General Hospital in addition to local hospitals. He was seen by Orthopedic Surgeons and Neurologists who were unable to provide answers for Austin and his family.

Austin spent the last two years of his life seeking answers for his situation while effectively being bedridden and confined to a wheelchair. He suffered constant pain with no answers. His mother Carrie and his family physician advocated for him to the best of their abilities, but unfortunately there continued to be no answers provided. Carrie and Chuck had to complete extensive renovations to their home out of pocket in order to care for Austin as he was repeatedly denied disability. They had to renovate Austin's bedroom, the bathroom, and install a wheelchair ramp to accommodate his needs. They are currently still paying for these renovations at this time.

Approximately five weeks ago Austin was transferring from his wheelchair and almost fell. He was hospitalized and seemed to be improving. After one week in hospital he was released. Two weeks later Carrie noticed that Austin's appetite was significantly diminished, and his skin colour did not appear normal. He was taken to the Haliburton Hospital and was rushed to the Lindsay Hospital. On March 4th Austin was admitted to intensive care with a critically low sodium level of 101, and jaundice. They were told he would be in hospital for at least four weeks, and that he would then be transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie to see an Orthopedic surgeon afterward. On March 12th Austin and Carrie were informed that Austin was going to need a liver transplant. They were going to start testing the family. 
 
Carrie received a phone call from Austin on March 16th while she was on her way home from visiting. He told her repeatedly that he loved her, and said that he thought he was having "a panic attack". Carrie told him she loved him too and that she was coming back to the hospital. She asked him to ring for the nurse. However when she arrived the medical team was resuscitating him. When the doctor came out to speak with Carrie she was informed that Austin was breathing on his own, but remained unresponsive. They allowed Carrie to see Austin, but told her that he only had a few minutes. Austin had suffered a massive hemorrhage, and passed away minutes later on March 16th at the age of 22. Austin's family continues to seek answers as to why their previously healthy son deteriorated over two years and ultimately died. They were told that if they wanted an autopsy performed that they would have to pay for this privately. His family would like to proceed with Autopsy to finally get the answers they have been searching for, and hopefully this will provide them with some form of closure.

Not only are Carrie and Chuck suffering the loss of their son Austin but they are also suffering with the financial burden in laying their beloved child to rest. Austin did not have life insurance. Unfortunately Carrie has been off work for over a year after having major spinal surgery and is unable to return to work, and Chuck has been bringing in the sole income for the family.

This go fund me has been set up to pay for: private autopsy, transfers of Austin, cremation, and a celebration of life. At this time we do not have approximate costs, but these costs will be updated as the information is received. Any funds received surpassing these costs will go to Carrie and Chuck to pay the outstanding costs of the renovations they completed to their home for Austin.

Carrie Desroches will be the sole beneficiary of these funds.