Hi everyone,

My name is Tia, and I’m writing this for my dad, Dallas, because he never would.

My dad is the kind of person who has always put others before himself. Through his business Kootenay Smokin Grillz, he has supported our community in so many ways showing up for local events, helping organizations, and always giving when someone else needed it. He’s the person people count on.

But for the past three years, after a serious back injury at work, I’ve watched him slowly lose the life he used to live.

The pain has taken so much from him. He loves hiking, working outside, traveling and being active, but now, there are days when his flare-ups are so bad that he can’t even do basic things most of us take for granted everyday. He struggles just to get through the day, and sometimes he can’t even dress himself. Seeing someone so strong be brought to that point is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

We kept believing things would get better. He has done everything he’s been told, appointments, treatments, waiting… hoping. But instead of improving, he’s only gotten worse.

Now, we finally have an answer, but it comes with a huge challenge.

My dad needs a double disc replacement surgery on his L4 L5 and L5 S1 discs, and the care he needs isn’t available to him here in Canada. His best way at getting his life back means traveling to Germany for this specialized procedure at the ONZ clinic.

His travel date is April 20th with surgery on the 23rd. Where he'll spent 1 week in hospital recovering and then another week in a rehabilitation clinic.

To try to make this happen, our family is making heartbreaking sacrifices. My dad and mom are closing both of their businesses Kootenay Smokin Grillz and Pageboy Studio, businesses they built with so much hard work and used to give back to others. Letting them go has been incredibly difficult, but we are doing everything we can to give him a chance to heal.

Even with everything we are sacrificing, the cost of surgery, travel, and recovery is overwhelming.

So, I’m asking for help for my dad.

He has spent years showing up for everyone else. Now, I’m hoping we can come together and show up for him. He deserves a chance to live without constant pain, to regain his independence, and to get back to being the person who has helped so many.

If you can donate, no matter how small, it truly means everything to us. And if you can’t, sharing this would help more than you know.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for supporting my dad in any way you can.

With all my heart,

Tia