‘ You can’t take my baby boy’
Scotchtown man paralyzed following motor-vehicle accident
Jean Cousins of Scotchtown was shampooing her hair on July 7 at about 7 a.m. when she got the phone call she describes as a nightmare.
“Our phone tells who is calling, it came up Jay Cousins — my son,” she said.
She said Jay was driving to Red Deer, Alta., to start a new life.
“I had just hung up the phone from him, he was so happy, he was only six hours away and I thought, ‘ What does he want now?’”
However, it wasn’t Jay on the other end of the phone.
“The caller said, ‘I’m a priest, Jay was in a bad car accident and they have to airlift him. Jay wanted me to tell you both that he loves you,’” she said as she sobbed.
Cousins said her husband Melvin had just left to take his mother to a doctor’s appointment. She dropped to her knees.
“My heart was broken. I said, ‘Oh God, you took my baby girl, you can’t take my baby boy, that’s all I got left.”
Their daughter Starlette Cousins-Thomas, 44, died of Crohn’s disease in February.
She said the priest then prayed with her on the phone.
Cousins said they were by their son’s side the next day in the surgical intensive-care unit at Regina General Hospital.
“Family got together and had tickets booked for us for a flight the next morning.”
Jay is suffering from a crushed spine, broken feet, internal injuries, a broken neck and is paralyzed from the chest down.
She said as soon as they saw their son, he looked at them and said, “I knew you’d come.”
Cousins said Jay remembers the accident and has flashbacks.
He said, ‘Mom, when I went out through the side window I could see the truck rolling while I was still sliding beside it.”
Cousins said it was hard for her son to learn of his condition and at first he couldn’t move his arms.
“At first he didn’t have control of them, then he finally did. The fourth day he held his first glass of water.”
She said he was doing good, they were watching movies and talking and his best friend Nick MacLeod, who he was going to live with in Red Deer came down to visit him.
Jay has been experiencing a lot of pain in his neck. He went through one operation and was supposed to go through another Wednesday to have screws put in the back of his neck. However, she said he developed an infection so the operation was can- celled.
“They’re trying to find out where this infection is coming from — it’s in his blood right now, so he’s back on the breathing machine. So we’ve gone two steps back right now, he’s not aware we’re there.”
Cousins said they don’t leave their son’s side unless there’s something the doctors or nurses need them to. She said they’ve been lucky so far and appreciate being able to stay at the home of ar family friend. However, they have to leave in another week. She doesn’t know where they’ll go next but have no plans on leaving Jay. He has a long road ahead of him, she added.
“There is a setback now with the operation, he has to go through therapy yet. It could be months.”
Jay had taken a broadcasting course in Halifax and was happy about starting a new life in Red Deer. Cousins said Jay is a “great son,” who has a wonderful sense of humour and many friends.
“He was kind to everyone, he loved to have fun, loved to laugh, loved to dance. He was the life of the party, very musical and loved playing the guitar.”
Cousins said the support from the public has been overwhelming.
Family friend Laurie Carrigan has started a GoFundMe at http://www.gofundme.com/ywc5tw and people can also donate to the family at any branch of the Royal Bank in Canada (Transit No. 01573, branch No. 003, account No. 5029111).
“All the prayers, even from complete strangers that don’t even know me or my family. Even the priest called when he got home,” she said.
“I want to thank everyone in every way for the support — thank you, we really appreciate it.”
Through it all Cousins said she has one comforting thought. When her husband went to get Jay’s belongings from the truck, they found the pouch Jay had with some ashes of his sister.
“It never got lost, it was only a little pouch. I know now in my heart she was there with him the whole time, I know he wasn’t alone. “