Road to Recovery
Donation protected
I am starting this go fund me campaign #helpyvrcourier on behalf of my in-laws, who suffered a terrible tragedy in a random act of violence, leaving the family facing an uncertain and difficult future.
Thursday, March 2 started out normally - the kids were dropped off for school, and their dad, Keenan, left their rented home in Burnaby for the 4th of five weekly 13-hour shifts as a contract courier driver. Without warning, their lives were changed shortly after 8:30 am, when Keenan suffered an unprovoked attack from a stranger wielding a butcher knife.
Along with three other victims in the area that morning, Keenan was transferred to VGH trauma ward, bleeding heavily and in shock. He suffered several cuts to his head and a cut through his right hand that required a six-hour surgery. While the outcome could have been much worse, the proximity to the hospital and quick action of first responders likely saved his life. It is expected that he will need physiotherapy for 6 months, three times per week, and it is not known whether he will ever recover use of his hand. The damage to his family and personal sense of safety may never be fully healed.
As a contract courier, WorkSafeBC has informed the family that Keenan is only entitled to $70/day. On March 17, they learned that there may also be partial coverage under disability insurance. The outcome and amount they may be entitled to receive is still unknown at this time, but will fall well below his former income. The WorkSafeBC payment represents a tiny fraction of what he was earning by working long days delivering documents. Prior to the attack, Keenan supported a family of four, including his wife (who works part-time), a 14 year old daughter with disabilities and an older daughter, aged 16. Should the campaign be successful and/or recovery better than anticipated, the family will donate any funds collected that they do not need to a charity supporting families in crisis.
Keenan has several weekly appointments and their two children must be dropped off/picked up from school. This leaves little time for Keenan's wife, Trish, to find the time to earn additional money. Currently, she is employed 20 hours per week part-time (also as a self-employed courier) and has a paper route to supplement the family income. But with their financial future in jeopardy, this family really needs your support. Trish has been tirelessly working to keep Keenan comfortable, manage the house and children, who are understandably worried and upset by the attack on their dad.
Please consider donating or sharing this campaign on your Facebook pages/Twitter or other social media channels to reach those who can afford to help. The family has suffered at the hands of a stranger, but with the help of strangers, the long road to recovery may lighten the journey.
Read more on this story in the media here:
http://www.vancourier.com/news/updated-man-arrested-after-four-people-assaulted-in-vancouver-1.10783834
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/four-injured-in-separate-violent-assaults-in-vancouver-1.3308197
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/stabbing-spree-prompts-questions-about-mental-health-treatment-in-b-c-1.3310643
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/charges-laid-in-string-of-stabbings-during-vancouver-rush-hour-1.4013753
http://globalnews.ca/news/3283522/police-investigating-three-assaults-in-vancouver-one-man-arrested/
Thursday, March 2 started out normally - the kids were dropped off for school, and their dad, Keenan, left their rented home in Burnaby for the 4th of five weekly 13-hour shifts as a contract courier driver. Without warning, their lives were changed shortly after 8:30 am, when Keenan suffered an unprovoked attack from a stranger wielding a butcher knife.
Along with three other victims in the area that morning, Keenan was transferred to VGH trauma ward, bleeding heavily and in shock. He suffered several cuts to his head and a cut through his right hand that required a six-hour surgery. While the outcome could have been much worse, the proximity to the hospital and quick action of first responders likely saved his life. It is expected that he will need physiotherapy for 6 months, three times per week, and it is not known whether he will ever recover use of his hand. The damage to his family and personal sense of safety may never be fully healed.
As a contract courier, WorkSafeBC has informed the family that Keenan is only entitled to $70/day. On March 17, they learned that there may also be partial coverage under disability insurance. The outcome and amount they may be entitled to receive is still unknown at this time, but will fall well below his former income. The WorkSafeBC payment represents a tiny fraction of what he was earning by working long days delivering documents. Prior to the attack, Keenan supported a family of four, including his wife (who works part-time), a 14 year old daughter with disabilities and an older daughter, aged 16. Should the campaign be successful and/or recovery better than anticipated, the family will donate any funds collected that they do not need to a charity supporting families in crisis.
Keenan has several weekly appointments and their two children must be dropped off/picked up from school. This leaves little time for Keenan's wife, Trish, to find the time to earn additional money. Currently, she is employed 20 hours per week part-time (also as a self-employed courier) and has a paper route to supplement the family income. But with their financial future in jeopardy, this family really needs your support. Trish has been tirelessly working to keep Keenan comfortable, manage the house and children, who are understandably worried and upset by the attack on their dad.
Please consider donating or sharing this campaign on your Facebook pages/Twitter or other social media channels to reach those who can afford to help. The family has suffered at the hands of a stranger, but with the help of strangers, the long road to recovery may lighten the journey.
Read more on this story in the media here:
http://www.vancourier.com/news/updated-man-arrested-after-four-people-assaulted-in-vancouver-1.10783834
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/four-injured-in-separate-violent-assaults-in-vancouver-1.3308197
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/stabbing-spree-prompts-questions-about-mental-health-treatment-in-b-c-1.3310643
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/charges-laid-in-string-of-stabbings-during-vancouver-rush-hour-1.4013753
http://globalnews.ca/news/3283522/police-investigating-three-assaults-in-vancouver-one-man-arrested/
Organizer and beneficiary
Beverly Pausche
Organizer
Burnaby, BC
Patricia Moore
Beneficiary