My name is Georgi Abbott and I am raising funds for my brother, Darcy Clemens.

On April 23rd, Darcy broke his back while lifting equipment and tools on and off his truck, in readiness to drive to Barriere, BC to begin his new job.

He heard some snaps, cracks and pops as he fell to the ground in excruciating pain. He lay face down in the dirt, unable to move and unable to yell loud enough for Deanne (his wife) to hear him from the house. On top of everything, his Lab puppy insisted on taking turns jumping and laying on him, with Darcy unable to stop her.

Fifteen minutes went by before Deanne found him and another 45 minutes waiting for an ambulance. She will forever be haunted by the look of unthinkable pain and tears in his eyes as she stood by feeling helpless and unable to help him in his hour of need.

He was taken to 100 Mile Hospital for pain medication, then transferred to Royal Inland Hospital in a Kamloops. He spent a fair amount of time in emergency until a bed opened up in the neurological trauma wing.

It took a few days before he could get an MRI, CAT scan and a visit with his surgeon. Days of unspeakable pain that no amount of pain medication could ease. Unable to move and terrified that the rest of his life might be spent in a wheelchair.

Four days later, the results showed a broken back consisting of 3 burst vertebrae, 4 exploded and crushed discs, with extensive nerve damage. The term for it is a spinal burst fracture.

The following day (Sunday) he finally had his surgery. He went in about 1:00 in the afternoon and wasn't back in his room until about 10:00 that evening.

Medical advancements are truly amazing. You may have heard about the first robotic spine surgery ever done in Canada, performed in London, Ontario about two weeks ago - Darcy had the good fortune to have basically the same thing done.

Darcy's surgery resulted in a patchwork of rods, screws, cement and glue. This actually enabled him to stand with a walker and even though it took a pain filled hour, he was able to go to the bathroom on his own - imagine that!!

His surgeon happened by on Tuesday, while Neil and I were visiting, and he explained what had been done, how successful the surgery was and what his recovery and future looked like.

Darcy was told not to even think about working for 6 months. It would be a slow and painful recovery, but he WOULD recover, almost fully. Of course, barring any unforseen circumstances. And, let's face it, he ain't no spring chicken.

So, while his medical status is looking great, his financial state looks ominous.

This couldn't have happened at a worse time as he's rapidly approaching retirement and to lose this period of peak earning potential is significant.

Darcy thought his mortgage insurance would cover his mortgage payments but, while it covers many things, it turns out it does not cover this particular situation.

Deanne is collecting EI for the next few weeks but earnings on a part-time job don't amount to much. She hopes to return to work sometime in June. Darcy is not eligible for EI.

Darcy collects CPP, but because he took it early, he receives a much reduced amount. He's too young to collect a Old Age Pension (OAS) and, being a contracter his entire life, does not have a company pension of any sort. And, there will be no WCB, which he pays into, because he wasn't hurt on the job - which was to start the next day.

Darcy was extremely reluctant to have me start a GoFundMe page, but friends and family convinced him that he really had no choice, or he would lose his house.

Darcy pays 1,400.00 per month on his mortgage and pays typical bills consisting of hydro, gas, 2 car insurances, house and property insurance, phone, TV, house taxes coming up, groceries etc.

On top of regular bills, he will have medical expenses including gas to drive back and forth for future tests, doctor appointments etc. Then there is physiotherapy, which BC Medical doesn't pay for - it's all out of pocket. All these things mean travelling from his home in 100Mile to Williams Lake and Kamloops.

I just have one other thing to add. While visiting him, and being there when the doctor showed up, I was witness to something that made me so proud, it moved me to tears. The doctor said they might have to transfer him to 100 Mile Hospital in a few days because they needed beds. I could see Darcy was upset, as he would not longer have this great medical team and care surrounding him, but he said "If I can help one person in the same pain and discomfort that I was in, waiting in emergency for a room and a bed, of course I'll go." They shipped him out first thing the next morning. That's my brother.

I am asking all his kind friends and family to please donate whatever is comfortable and affordable to help Darcy in his time of need. I understand that these are hard financial times for many, but no donation is too small, and it all adds up.