RETURN <snip> ALMAGUIN NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2006 VOL.120 NO. 2

- AND ANOTHER THING-

By Sarah Thomas

By now you know that Richard Thomas was in a terrible collision at the north entrance of Burk’s Falls two days after Christmas. It was about nine o’clock in the morning and he’d gone out to get some plumbing fittings. He wanted to re-jig the hot water supply so that everyone in our houseful of people could take a shower. The sun was in his eyes we guess; he didn’t see the approaching northbound transport trailer and he turned in front of it. Of course, as usual, Dad wasn’t wearing his seatbelt and was thrown from his truck by the impact. Ironically, it may have saved his life. It is certain that he wouldn’t have survived otherwise.

Dad was taken to Huntsville hospital and from there he was air-lifted to St Michael’s Hospital trauma unit in Toronto. Miraculously, he is alive, though seriously, critically, injured. His pelvis is badly broken, his hip dislocated, his spine fractured in two places, his right leg and four ribs broken. However, his abdomen is uninjured and his internal organs are functioning as normally as could be expected. Though his heart has been severely shocked and his head concussed, both appear to be basically okay.

We don’t know for sure whether he has sustained brain damage, but he has, intermittently, held our hands and tried to squeeze them, turned his head to the sound of our voices and responded to commands from the doctors and nurses to open his eyes and move his thumbs. It is very difficult to say if these functions will improve or are diminishing – still, these signs are the reasons we hold out hope.

He has undergone surgery twice already, once to relocate his hip and install an “external fixator” around his pelvis to stabilize it, and again, to fuse the detached vertebrae in his neck. Both operations went well; nevertheless, his chances are still not great. If he survives to recognize and talk to us again, if he ever moves his limbs, it will be a miracle.

His survival to this point is also due to the awe-inspiring professionalism and expertise of many people in our community: whoever witnessed the accident and called for help, we thank you.

Constable McVey, your tact and sensitivity made the long drive to Huntsville bearable; we thank you. We are profoundly, inexpressibly grateful to the paramedics, the ambulance driver, the trauma team in Huntsville under the guidance of Doctor Trenholm, and those who got Dad to Toronto alive.

Dad is receiving the best care available in the province, possibly in the country. There is a team of specialists and nurses attending to Dad around the clock, and they have been, without exception, devoted to ensuring his best chances for survival; these saints have also taken the time to treat us, his family, with intelligence, respect and profound sympathy.

Despite this horrific event, from an international perspective we are extraordinarily fortunate. If we were in a country without nationalized health insurance, we would be incurring an unpayable debt. Just one of the titanium screws in Dad’s neck is worth one thousand dollars, and the costs of the surgeries and the ICU care run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. If we were in a developing country without this quality of emergency response, medical care and these technologies, Dad would already be gone.

We are all very lucky to be Canadian and I urge you to remember and value that. As my sister Nell says, anything can happen to anyone at any time, and while this happened to us, these kinds of tragedies happen every day. Do we want to live in a country that doesn’t provide such opportunities for survival to our loved ones? Our medical system is already under threat. What do we need to do to strengthen and protect it?
We are also lucky to have so many friends in the community; we know that there has been an outpouring of concern, of prayer, of offers of help. Many of you care about Dad, and Mom too, very much and we are deeply moved by your kindness and generosity. We have a network of support among you, without which we could not manage. Thank you.

If you would like to do something else to help Dad directly, the best I can suggest is to give a donation to Huntsville Hospital or St. Michael’s Hospital. Call 789-2311 in Huntsville and ask for the Foundation, or call 416-864-5000 in Toronto.

I thank you for not calling the hospital to find out how Dad is doing, despite your very understandable concern. The staff is working hard to save and protect lives, and do not need the distractions. We will try to keep you informed through this newspaper.

I can tell you now that if Dad makes it, he will be in intensive care and barely conscious for weeks, probably months. It could be a very long, uphill battle. Please keep praying; your love and care matter to us. I’ve been telling Dad that this is worth it; he should try to hold on, for the future won’t always be this bad. I hope I’m right.

For now, life must go on. Nell will return to medical school in Sudbury. Eli and Miranda, my brother Jeremy’s children, will resume their studies at university and college, and I will, believe it or not, fly back to Singapore to my teaching job at the German European School – Mom insists. We will all just have to wait and see. If Dad doesn’t make it, it gives me comfort to know that he had a very nice Christmas, with a lot of close and loving family around.

Here are a few more requests, before I go: Give blood. Tell your loved ones you love them. Take care of one another. Treasure every minute of every day.