Ryan's Road to Recovery

On March 9th at around 2:30 in the afternoon, Ryan set out on his skidoo, looking forward to a beautiful day outside with family.   The trip ended abruptly when Ryan’s sled hit a drainage ditch just a mile and a half from home.  The recent snow and wind had smoothed out the field and he didn’t even have time to react to brake before the tail end of the sled slammed into the side of the ditch.  The impact of the crash was severe, and Ryan was thrown from the sled and landed on his back. He knew right away that it was bad but had the wherewithal to hold his hand up in the air to warn Ashton and Mel, who were following behind him.  At this point, Ryan called 911 because he couldn’t move his legs. Over the next 40 minutes, Mel and the kids waited helplessly while EMS and eventually STARS arrived to transport Ryan to the U of A hospital.  They learned that Ryan had suffered a L1 fracture of his spine. The next 30 hours were a whirlwind of intense pain, an ambulance transfer to the Royal Alexander Hospital, an MRI and eventually surgery to stabilize his lower spine with rods and pins.  Thankfully, Ryan has regained some movement of his legs already and the fact that he is a healthy guy will definitely be a plus as he starts the rehab process.  Ryan and Mel have been overwhelmed by the kindness and support that they have received in the form of calls, texts and visits and are thankful for the great care that he has received right from the time of the accident. Ryan has not been told how long the recovery process will take or the prognosis of recovery from his injury.  Unfortunately, he does not have any disability insurance and WCB of course does not apply since this happened outside of work time.  Although Ryan’s employer is very supportive, and he has a good friend who is able to cover his well-checking for the short term, the reality is that they will be losing income and incurring expenses due to being up in Edmonton as Ryan begins his rehab journey. Financial strain should not be on his mind at this time – he needs to devote his energy to getting back to his family and regular life.  Thank-you so much for supporting Ryan on his Road to Recovery- every bit helps!