Help bring Sandy Home after Tragic Volcano Boarding Accident

Help Bring Sandy Home After Tragic Volcano Boarding Accident.

A loving father of 2, paralyzed from the waist down in a foreign country, is fighting for his life and needs urgent support.

Sandy, known for his musical talent, great sense of humour, kindness and work ethic, suffered a catastrophic accident while volcano boarding in Leon, Nicaragua. Cerro Negro is a popular destination for this sport but on September 20th, a fun excursion turned disastrous. Sandy, a dedicated father of 2 sons, crashed hard on the volcanic rock. It took 90 minutes for the ambulance to arrive and they transported him to the nearest public hospital.

Sandy's spine is fractured. He has 4 broken ribs, is currently paralyzed from the waist down. He is intubated and being kept unconscious.

He requires spinal decompression surgery but they cannot operate yet, because of his lungs. One lung is bleeding and also leaking air into his body tissues, causing swelling. He had been improving after the accident, conscious and with a sense of humour but suffered a setback after a bedding change on Fri. This may have dislodged some bone fragments and re-injured his lungs. Sandy's condition deteriorated quickly and he panicked. He was administered diazepam & fell asleep. His respiration rate slowed down dangerously. Sandy's eldest son who was present, insisted that something was wrong & made them check his father's oxygen levels because Sandy did not have an O2 monitor on. Tyson got the nurses to check him and Sandy's blood oxygen saturation was at 75. After an hour with an oxygen mask on, the O2 levels were only up to 84. He was taken back to ICU, sedated and intubated with a ventilator, to keep him breathing. He requires around the clock monitoring by family to ensure his safety and improve his possibilities for a full recovery.

Sandy is in HEODRA, a public hospital, “free” in the sense that there’s a bed, but the reality is brutal. Conditions are unhygienic. Family is expected to provide basic care and ensure the patient is looked after appropriately.

Family members provide many basic supplies ie: food & toiletries.

At times, family may even be required to buy and bring medicine and/or medical supplies, if the hospital runs out.

If the family isn’t there, patients can be left unfed, unwashed, or without their prescribed medications.

Nurses and doctors are doing their best, but they are overwhelmed and short on resources. For the past week, Sandy’s two sons have been by his side with help from their mom, Laura. They’re taking shifts so Sandy is not left alone. Without them and their mother, he would not be getting the care he needs to stay alive. Laura had to leave today due to other obligations and the boys are down there by themselves. They are exhausted and need respite.

We’re running out of options and desperately need some help to get at least one other family member down to Nicaragua, to help provide care.

When Sandy is finally stable enough, he will need a medical flight home to Canada. That flight will cost at least $80,000.

Sandy has worked his whole life to give his kids a future. Now they are fighting to save him, but they can’t do it alone.

We need help — urgently.

Your donations will be used for things such as:

Airfare and travel expenses for persons assisting Sandy.

Covering daily needs in the hospital (medications, supplies, food, toiletries, etc).

Medical expenses (private hospital, nursing, homecare, equipment etc.)

Supporting his sons while they stay in Nicaragua to care for him.

Preparing for the eventual cost of a medical flight home.

Physio or other therapies to assist Sandy's recovery efforts.

If any funds are unused at the end of the campaign, the remainder of the funds will be divided equally between Tyson & Tristan, Sandy's sons.

If you can donate, please know every dollar counts. If you can’t, please share this so others might.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for sending hope, healing, and support to Sandy in his fight for life.