Support for Rick's Healing

Hello to all of Rick Sproule's friends, family, colleagues and loved-ones,

As you may know, Rick has been recovering in the Ottawa Heart Institute for the past month. In early February he went to the hospital after being very ill at home for a week. The doctors then realized that Rick had suffered from a heart attack and stroke days before. Due to nerve damage from his diabetes, he didn't realize the severity of the pain.

Rick had open heart surgery to fix a hole and put in a by-pass. It has been a slow healing process, with a few complications in the hospital, and Rick has fought hard to heal. We are happy to say that after a month in intensive care, Rick has moved to a general room in the heart institute to continue healing and therapy.  

Rick has dedicated the last few years of his life to the causes he cares very much about. He takes care of and supports those who need it most, seldom asking for anything in return. He loves his harm prevention family at the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs (CAPUD) of which he is currently the President, Overdose Prevention Ottawa (OPO), Drug User Advocacy League (DUAL), and his colleagues at Inner City Health. Rick helped establish the first harm reduction sites in Ottawa, organized the Ottawa National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis, and represented his friends and colleagues at conferences across the country.


Thanks to everyone who has sent their love and thoughts to Rick during this time, including his family, parents, siblings, the Sproule cousins/aunts/uncles, his childhood friends, his supporters and friends in the wonderful groups mentioned above, and of course all those who have rock and rolled, skied, and cursed authority with him before.


Rick will have a long healing process which includes a few more weeks/months in the hospital before he is ready to head home.

During this time we would love to fix up his house to be ready for him to return. There are repairs that need to be made including a new roof, flooring, kitchen renos, and paint.

The funds you provide will help us prepare a great space for him to heal in, and some comfort for him when he gets home.

Other ways you can help would be providing manual labour in fixing up his house, visits in the hospital once he's ready, and friendly company and visits once he's home.

I will let you know when he's ready to have visitors in the hospital (which should be soon!).

Thanks for your love and support!

Sam Sproule, Rick's daughter