Help after medical emergency out of country

Hello everyone, my name is Glennda, One of my very best friends and her family are in need of our help. When I say the name I know its going to ring bells in most of your minds and to be honest across this country and beyond! This name is known for many reasons the family who have it, who and what they represent.

Before we get started on that I'm going to give you a little insight as to why I am here asking for help on behalf of this wonderful family who has become part of my family for about 30 years.

Last Friday April 4th, 2025 I was at home when my phone rang. It was my friend Jen Wiebe, (Wiebe, I know you know that name) I was thinking it was her day off and we were going to have a visit. I answered my phone and my friend, my sister was uncontrollably crying and could barely get the words out " Glennda, my Dad had a stroke"! Instantly I hung up the phone and raced out to Pilot Butte where the Wiebe family has resided for many years.

At this point there wasn't a lot of information. We knew that Don and Eleanor were preparing to return to Canada in their RV for the summer months as usual. When Don realized he needed to go to Walmart, He left and as Eleanor watched him he fell. Eleanor went out to make sure he was ok. At this point Eleanor realized it wasn't just a fall and Don was not ok! Thankfully their neighbor was there and they called an ambulance right away and got Don to the hospital in Texas. When Don arrived to the hospital he had weakness in the right leg, no movement in his right arm and devastatingly no speech! There they did scans and realized Don had a clot in his brain, he'd had a stroke and immediately took him to surgery. They did a procedure to remove the clot successfully. As everyone knows when dealing with the brain there is no guarantee of what recovery looks like. After surgery Don was having trouble swallowing and protecting his airway so they needed to intubate him, they also put in a feeding tube. The whole family was banded together to try and figure out next steps. So Jen, Rod, Jason, Michelle, Taylor, Madison, Hailey and myself started looking into flights, passports and solutions. It was decided that Taylor(also a nurse at the Pasqua hospital here in Regina) would fly down to Texas to help her Grandma navigate Dons health care and be a support for her. While the rest of the family would get things in order here to be able to drive down to Texas and pick up Their RV and truck to bring it back to Canada.

At this point a week later Don is making strides to get better. He still doesn't have the ability to speak which is frustrating for him as you could imagine but they are working with alphabet, pointing and flashcards to try and help. Don is starting to make sounds which may seem silly but to his recovery this is HUGE progress! Don is able to walk "unassisted" with family or nurses close by for support if needed and has partial use of his right arm but no finger movement. As of today, they have hit a couple bumps, but the Doctors are vigilant in giving Don the best care. He is doing what he can to get better. This is going to be a very long road and no one knows what the future holds or what "recovery" looks like for Don. No one will ever quit trying to get Don back to having a full life again including Don himself.

Now the family, doctors and nurses are trying to figure out the best way to transport Don and Eleanor back to Canada where Don will be in the hospital until they find him a rehabilitation facility to help with his recovery. As of right now, the thought is that Taylor may fly with Don back to Regina if cleared to do so, and Jen, Rod and family will drive to Texas to get Eleanor, their truck and RV safely back to Regina.

Being a Canadian in the USA needing a hospital stay, surgery and other procedures is an astronomical expense as there is no free health care in the USA so costs accrue daily. On top of that is the expense the family has needed to put forth to get to Texas. It's hard enough to make ends meet nowadays but to throw in a medical emergency out of country is devastating. The family is being as strong as they can and doing everything they can to help their Husband, Dad, and Papa get better. This family needs to be ALL together and focus on Don's recovery without the financial worry. If you know anyone in the Wiebe family you know they would do anything to help anyone in need so I am asking for your help to help them. It would be more appreciated than words could ever express! Anything helps it all adds up! Prayer and words of encouragement are always welcome too! This could potentially be a very long road for the family and will be the new norm for a while but I believe this family is deserving of all the good we can give! If I could take all the pain and worry from this family I would do it in a heartbeat but unfortunately I can't! However, I can help alleviate some of it and hopefully reduce some of the stress along with your help!

Don and Eleanor have been "snow birds" for a few years now going to Texas to be out of the cold Saskatchewan weather. Retired and trying to enjoy life is not the only reason, tho well deserved rest for them, the other reason is due to health, being in the cold winters was affecting their daily lives and was becoming a hinderance to them enjoying being retired. So they made the decision that was best for them, become snowbirds in Texas!

Don Wiebe before retirement was a hard working man, doing anything and everything needed for his family but it didn't stop at retirement he still to this day is the definition of the family man! He is the man who has all the advice, all the answers and most importantly the heart of gold! Don a well known man no matter where he goes he is well liked. He is mischievous and always good for a laugh. I think one of his favorite things to do is to play pranks, if you will, on his wife Eleanor! Knowing it was a bad idea he did it anyway for the laugh, all in good fun, I remember 1 story (and there is many) Jen told me, Don had just bought a motorcycle and went for a ride WAY longer than he thought he would be so Eleanor started to worry as anyone would! Thinking something dreadful happened. Well in true Don fashion, he showed up at home finally, Eleanor expressing her worry and now anger to Don, rightfully so, Don looked at Eleanor straight faced and says "well did you make me coffee"? I'm not sure the results of his answer but he survived it! He likes to push his luck which makes us question his choices sometimes ha ha! Another quick story, Don was a truck driver for many years for Purolator so he was a "professional" driver and one time driving in their family vehicle Don missed a stop sign and it was pointed out to him, Dons response was "it's ok, I did it professionally"! There are many stories and elements to Don that make him the great man, husband, dad, father in law, Papa, great Papa and friend. I do not have the space to list all his attributes but if you know Don I don't need to.

I've had the great pleasure of knowing this family for many years and one thing you always see when around them is the love of family! As a girl I know what it is like to be a "Daddy's girl" so I felt the pain Jen was going through along with the whole family! It breaks my heart for them. I am asking anyone that can, to help the Wiebe family so they can focus on helping Don in his recovery.

On behalf of the Wiebe family and myself I want to give our heartfelt appreciation and Thanks to all of you that are able to help! Any and all money raised will be put towards medical cost, travel expenses, and any other needs Don may have during his recovery. We will continue to update any progress in Dons recovery journey!