Paul Watts' Accident Recovery Fund
Donation protected
**scroll to bottom for updates**
Dear Friends & Family,
As most of you know, my brother, Michael, and dad, Paul, were in a serious car accident on Monday morning that has left my father critically injured and in the ICU at Sudbury's Health Sciences North Hospital.
Paul and Michael were on their way from Paul's parents house in Haliburton to our aunt & uncles' cottage in Callandar Bay on Monday morning when their Jeep collided, head-on, with another vehicle on Hwy 11 @ the Hwy 124 overpass in South River. Paul was the first, on the scene, to be rushed to North Bay hospital and, later that evening, had to be airlifted to Sudbury Health Sciences North Hospital.
While Michael's injuries were relatively minor (broken thumb & cracked shoulder blade), Paul suffered a number of extremely critical injuries... right femur broken in 2 places, left tibia broken in 2 places, broken left kneecap, both feet broken in multiple places, 3 broken ribs, lung contusions, brain contusions and a significant laceration on the top right side of his head resulting in 10 staples.
Paul has since had two major surgeries, the first where they stabilized his femur & tibia with temporary external fixators and the second, where they placed permanent rods in both of his legs as well as plates and screws in his left knee in order to heal all of the bones.
Today marks one week since the accident and Paul is still in Sudbury (most of you know that this is roughly a 4 and a half hour drive from his home in Oakville) and is currently flowing in and out of a medically-induced coma.
Paul is still on a breathing tube and having trouble responding to cues like 'squeeze my hand', 'raise your arm', etc. however; each day comes with small progress and our hope remains strong that we will soon be able to have him transferred via airlift to a hospital closer to home where he can begin his journey to full recovery.
Paul still faces at least 6 to 8 weeks in the hospital, followed by at least 3 to 4 months in a rehabilitation facility where he will go through intense physical therapy in order to rebuild strength in both of his legs. He will be off work for at least 9 months to 1 year and will face a number of rehabilitative challenges along the way.
As you can imagine, this accident has put a significant financial strain on our family and our hope in setting up this GoFundMe page is that we can come together to alleviate some of the financial stress that they will also be facing during this time.
The outpouring of love and support that we've received thus far has been overwhelming and we are incredibly grateful to everyone that has reached out.
XO
~ Kristin, Michael, Tina & Paul
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**Update** Tuesday, September 10, 2019
More concerning news today as we learned that Pauls cognitive rehabilitation may take longer than we had initially thought. He is making some small steps in the right direction but there is concern that the head trauma may be more significant than the doctors had anticipated. We continue to hope and pray for the best...
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**Update** Thursday, September 12, 2019
Paul had a tracheotomy done yesterday so that his breathing tube could be removed but he could continue to breathe on his own with a protected airway. He was transferred from Sudbury Health Sciences North Hospital via airlift to Hamilton General Hospital today where they will be performing surgery to stabilize a number of bones in both of his feet. When my family left the hospital tonight, Paul was responding to yes or no questions with head nods and shakes, he was squeezing hands and blowing kisses. We continue to have all the hope in the world that Paul will make a full recovery and we are so grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity.
**Update** Saturday, September 21, 2019
A lot has happened in the past week. Paul had his final (hopefully) surgery done to fix both of his feet and that went really well. He has also had his tracheotomy tube removed and is now able to speak to us. He is still in a lot of pain and sometimes a bit confused but, otherwise, it seems like his personality and witty sense of humour is in tact. We are very happy with his recovery, so far, and are now just waiting on updates regarding his short term rehab plan and hoping to get him transferred to Oakville hospital. Please keep sending all the positive
vibes to Paul!
Dear Friends & Family,
As most of you know, my brother, Michael, and dad, Paul, were in a serious car accident on Monday morning that has left my father critically injured and in the ICU at Sudbury's Health Sciences North Hospital.
Paul and Michael were on their way from Paul's parents house in Haliburton to our aunt & uncles' cottage in Callandar Bay on Monday morning when their Jeep collided, head-on, with another vehicle on Hwy 11 @ the Hwy 124 overpass in South River. Paul was the first, on the scene, to be rushed to North Bay hospital and, later that evening, had to be airlifted to Sudbury Health Sciences North Hospital.
While Michael's injuries were relatively minor (broken thumb & cracked shoulder blade), Paul suffered a number of extremely critical injuries... right femur broken in 2 places, left tibia broken in 2 places, broken left kneecap, both feet broken in multiple places, 3 broken ribs, lung contusions, brain contusions and a significant laceration on the top right side of his head resulting in 10 staples.
Paul has since had two major surgeries, the first where they stabilized his femur & tibia with temporary external fixators and the second, where they placed permanent rods in both of his legs as well as plates and screws in his left knee in order to heal all of the bones.
Today marks one week since the accident and Paul is still in Sudbury (most of you know that this is roughly a 4 and a half hour drive from his home in Oakville) and is currently flowing in and out of a medically-induced coma.
Paul is still on a breathing tube and having trouble responding to cues like 'squeeze my hand', 'raise your arm', etc. however; each day comes with small progress and our hope remains strong that we will soon be able to have him transferred via airlift to a hospital closer to home where he can begin his journey to full recovery.
Paul still faces at least 6 to 8 weeks in the hospital, followed by at least 3 to 4 months in a rehabilitation facility where he will go through intense physical therapy in order to rebuild strength in both of his legs. He will be off work for at least 9 months to 1 year and will face a number of rehabilitative challenges along the way.
As you can imagine, this accident has put a significant financial strain on our family and our hope in setting up this GoFundMe page is that we can come together to alleviate some of the financial stress that they will also be facing during this time.
The outpouring of love and support that we've received thus far has been overwhelming and we are incredibly grateful to everyone that has reached out.
XO
~ Kristin, Michael, Tina & Paul
———————————————————————
**Update** Tuesday, September 10, 2019
More concerning news today as we learned that Pauls cognitive rehabilitation may take longer than we had initially thought. He is making some small steps in the right direction but there is concern that the head trauma may be more significant than the doctors had anticipated. We continue to hope and pray for the best...
———————————————————————
**Update** Thursday, September 12, 2019
Paul had a tracheotomy done yesterday so that his breathing tube could be removed but he could continue to breathe on his own with a protected airway. He was transferred from Sudbury Health Sciences North Hospital via airlift to Hamilton General Hospital today where they will be performing surgery to stabilize a number of bones in both of his feet. When my family left the hospital tonight, Paul was responding to yes or no questions with head nods and shakes, he was squeezing hands and blowing kisses. We continue to have all the hope in the world that Paul will make a full recovery and we are so grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity.
**Update** Saturday, September 21, 2019
A lot has happened in the past week. Paul had his final (hopefully) surgery done to fix both of his feet and that went really well. He has also had his tracheotomy tube removed and is now able to speak to us. He is still in a lot of pain and sometimes a bit confused but, otherwise, it seems like his personality and witty sense of humour is in tact. We are very happy with his recovery, so far, and are now just waiting on updates regarding his short term rehab plan and hoping to get him transferred to Oakville hospital. Please keep sending all the positive
vibes to Paul!
Organizer
Kristin Dimech
Organizer
Oakville, ON