Hi, my name is Jessica Rufus Christian, and I'm fundraising for my daddy, Rufus Ratilal Christian. My dad is 63 years old and an Indian citizen. He was visiting me in Canada as I was expecting my first child, and I was due to deliver on September 27th, 2022. My dad landed in Canada on June 27th, and a month later, on July 27th, 2022 morning around 8:30 am, he missed his step and fell on his back all the way to the bottom of the stairs. The fall resulted in him fracturing his cervical spine with spinal cord compression. He was rushed to Lakeridge Hospital's ER in Oshawa. He was then transferred to St. Michael's hospital in Toronto, Canada, as he required urgent neurosurgery in an attempt to fix the fracture and spinal cord decompression. The doctors at St. Michaels informed us that his body below his chest was paralyzed. The injury caused this in his cervical spine (C2-C6), and we were told he would never walk on his own. His motor and sensory system were severely injured.

We were told that it would be a very long process to recover due to the seriousness of the injury. Post-surgery, the doctors said that my dad's Respiratory system was also compromised, and he would need ventilator support for a longer time. He has been on ventilator support since July 28th, 2022.

My dad came to Canada with travel insurance, but the insurance has been exhausted from the extended stay in the ICU. He was transferred to Lakeridge Health Oshawa ICU after his surgery on August 16th, 2022, and has been there to date. The hospital bills have now reached over 300K, and they keep growing with no end in sight. Please see the attached link to review the hospital bills https://youtube.com/shorts/7J1dLQjWGI0. My dad's insurance coverage has a limit of 50K. Our goal is to get him to be medically stable enough for a long journey back to India, where he will continue his recovery.

I never imagined I'd be starting a GoFundMe shortly after having my first child. I never imagined I'd be in this situation or that my dad would be told that he would never walk again. He came here with big hopes of being able to spend time with my daughter and I. Now, we are all taking care of him.

So, here we are, asking for your financial support if possible. My dad is a retired man. My husband and I are just starting out our careers, and I am now on maternity leave with little support via Employment Insurance through the government. The past two months have been emotionally and financially draining as we were dealing with my Dad's situation, preparing for our first child, and going through delivery. We are knocking on your generous heart to support us financially in this journey. No amount is too small, and any amount given will genuinely make a huge impact. Most importantly, we also hope you can whisper a prayer for my dad.