Family grateful for support after teen’s paralyzing accident
The Davies family is thanking the community of Waterdown for its support after their 18-year-old son and brother, Blake, was paralyzed following a trampoline accident.
Blake was at a Hamilton trampoline park on April 29 when he landed on his head and was rushed to hospital with a neck injury.
“He called me from the ambulance, so I just assumed he broke his arm or something,” his brother Jordan recalled. “We went into the emergency room and he said, ‘I can’t move my legs.’
“It was just a freak accident,” he added. “We had a trampoline growing up and he could always do flips and stuff. He just messed up one — just one freak mess-up.”
Blake was diagnosed with a teardrop fracture of his C7 vertebra and despite being rushed into surgery, remains paralyzed from the chest down. Doctors have said it will be a miracle if he walks again.
“He’s got full movement of his arms, which is great,” Jordan said. “He’s super into gaming and into construction. So he can still find ways to do that if he wants to.”
Right away, his brother was positive about the situation, Jordan said.
Jordan noted Blake is undergoing rehabilitation at Hamilton General Hospital and is getting his strength back quickly. In fact, he’s ahead of where doctors expected him to be.
Since it became clear Blake would likely never walk again, the family has been focused on preparing the house for his return, Jordan said.
That preparation has involved installing ramps, as well as expanding his bedroom so he’ll be able to manoeuvre a wheelchair, which has meant removing a wall. As well, the bathroom and countertops have had to be made accessible.
Blake’s immediate goal is to get out of the hospital. His discharge date is July 10.
Jordan added Blake can leave the hospital on weekends, so he’s been to the movies and home to Waterdown several times.
Blake is now trying to decide what kind of career he wants to pursue, his brother said. A Waterdown District High School graduate, he was taking a year off and working full time at Fortinos. While he’s a talented woodworker, Jordan said Blake wasn’t sure if he wanted to make it his career, as he had scoliosis when he was younger.
Four members of the family work at Fortinos — Jordan, Blake, his mother Melanie Lalonde and sister Alysia Springer.
Waterdown Fortinos franchisee Wade Dove said the store is planning a fundraiser to help the family.
“You have the power to do something about it to help people,” he said. “It’s an opportunity as an employer to support them in their recovery process.”
Jordan said the amount of support the family has received from the community has been unbelievable. He noted his aunt set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with the accessibility renovations with a $22,000 goal. As of Friday, the page had raised $22,205.
Jordan said the Davies family wants to thank the community for their support.
“I know my family would love to extend their thanks and say how much they appreciate everything. It’s incredibly humbling and I think that kind of support is just showing Blake that he matters, he’s loved and that he can get through it.”