Info On Connors Fundraiser and Donations

Well guys a date and location has finally been decided! We're having a fundraiser for Connor Thursday March 6th, 2014 at The Fox and The Fiddle in Langley. Tickets are $20.00 which will include, a burger and beer or a glass of wine. (The money raised will go to helping Connor pay for extra medical expenses and anything he may need, added or changed to accommodate him when he gets to go home) We are planning lots of fun stuff for that night so we hope to see you there!

To buy tickets you can call me (Megan) 604-200-2504, (Sandi) 604-202-8450, (Breanna) 778-899-5912 or (Kaitlyn) 778-240-7730

*Update* I now have confirmation that Trama will be playing at our fundraiser for Connor! So excited! A big thanks to Doni Underhill, Brian, Alex and Doni's lady Trish!

We should have the tickets printed this weekend and we will be in contact with everyone that has requested to purchase tickets so far. Make sure to give one of us a call and we hope to see you all there!

I've also written up a document asking for donations from people/companies for raffle prizes and for our silent auction. I don't really know where to start so if any of you may know of places or people that could donate, I've posted the link below. If you know of someone or some place that could donate anything and don't mind sharing the link it would be greatly appreciated. I'm open to suggestions to and you reach me at: megandick13@gmail.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B07hMkg3QMlST2w1dFM4WHJIMms/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you all again for following, helping share Connors story, and for all the support along the way. Our family needed it the most and you've all been here in one way or another to help <3

An Update On Connor and How He's Feeling

I actually just found this out today, the last blog entry I posted which was The Start Of A New Year Connor had actually written it with our mom. I added extra details and such but it was so nice to know he's wanting to share his story too.

On January 8th, 2014 I had gone up to visit Connor and to my surprise him and our mom both told me Connor reads his blog all the time. He really enjoys reading his progress and the comments people leave, his favourite though is watching his video as it shows him how far he's come since the accident. Connor should be nothing less then proud of himself, he's working so hard! I guess I'm going to have to make him another video soon so he has something new to watch. Our mom also told me that while Connor was at VGH he had about 100 different people come to visit him. That just goes to show how special our brother really is.

During our visit that evening it was our mom and dad, our brother Cody, Danny, Kaitlyn, Taylor and myself. Danny and the others had gone to get Connor McDonalds as he hadn't had it for months! They brought him a McFlurry, a Southwest Chicken Sandwich and a Poutine. Lets just say that sandwich was gone in no time! When it was time to move onto the poutine, Connor looked up at us and said "Who's going to feed me?" We all had a good laugh and said no one, but Connor looked at our dad and said "dad will". Our dad was actually on his way out so sweet Kaitlyn offered to help him. (Before you think we're mean, we're supposed to get Connor to do most stuff on his own and help him if he really needs it) Though feeding himself can be a challenge and quite frustrating for him, we more often then not give in. I'd also brought in my laptop and the movie Bad Grandpa, figuring if anything was going to make him laugh that movie would be it. With the hospital beds pushed side by side and extra chairs around the beds, we all moved in close to Connor and started to watch it. About 5 minutes into the movie Connor turned it off because he couldn't see it. Over the last couple weeks Connors vision has been very bad. He's only able to see things if they are close to his face and everything else is blurry. They're working on figuring out what's wrong and hopefully it will happen sooner than later as it's one less thing he needs right now. One of Connors favourite things to do now is go to get Starbucks at the Safeway across the street from GF Strong. If you ask him if he wants to go, that kid sits himself up so fast! We all took him for a walk to get one that night and on the Safeway scratches we got while we were there, Connor won 2 free chocolate bars. I think we may need to go buy him a lottery ticket! Just before Cody and I were about to leave, Connor's other friends Breanna and Milan showed up with home made brownies and they were so yummy! He's honestly so lucky to have such amazing people in his life that truly care. Connors been one spoiled guy lately but he definitely deserves it all!

On January 10th, 2014 Connor finally gets to spend the weekend at home! Not his actual home but our mom and her boyfriend Mike's place because it's wheelchair friendly. It's in Fort Langley right on the river so it should be a relaxing weekend for him and a nice change of scenery. Our mom had to practice car transfers in and out of the wheelchair the other day which went very well but as soon as Connor got in the car he said "Take me home now". Without a doubt Connor is not going to want to leave once he gets there but I hope he enjoys it, it goes well and he's able to do it more often. I'm so happy he's finally up for having more people come to visit him, I know he doesn't want people to see him how he is but he has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

The other day Connor told me this post should include how he's feeling. He's mentally not in a good place right now and he's feeling pretty down. The other day Connor told us that he shouldn't be here (at GF Strong) and that none of this should have happened to him. Now don't get me wrong I'd never wish this on anyone ever but Connor being the kind of person he is, he didn't deserve this. The doctors have said that with the way Connor is thinking into the future, it shows them that his brain isn't just stuck on today or the past which is a very good thing. I guess there's always something good to come out of something bad. He's getting help for how he's feeling so hopefully between us and the doctors we can get him over this bump. His vision, not being able to use his right hand very well, not being able to weight bare yet, and pretty much unable to do the things he normally would due to all the other injuries, I don't blame him for feeling how he does and unfortunately it's a part of his traumatic brain injury recovery (DAI). I asked if there was anything we could do to make him happy and all he said was take me home. January 14th, 2014 Connor goes to back to VGH to make sure he gets the OK to weight bare on both legs! I think once he's able to get up and about again on his own it will make him a lot happier.

The last appointment Connor had at VGH the doctors there couldn't believe his progress. A few were even amazed as they had seemed very pessimistic about his recovery from the start. From what we were told in the beginning, to where he is now is absolutely incredible, a miracle, whatever it is we're all so thankful.

Connor when you read this, I know we tell you all the time but if you keep fighting the way you are and pushing yourself to do things you think you can't, you'll hopefully be home before you know it. You were blessed with a second chance for a reason. We all love you buddy and if there's anything we can ever do you know just to ask us, we're all here for you <3

Donations

Our family and Connor want to thank you all so much from the bottoms of our hearts for all your generous donations. Every time he receives a donation it brings a little smile to his face which is so nice to see as he's going through a rough time right now. Honestly ever bit helps no matter how big or small, it all adds up!

We are in the process of putting together a fundraiser at a pub around the end of February, early March but when I have all the details and date I'll let you all know.

Now a lot of people have been asking if there's any other way to donate other then through the PayPal donate button. I've talked it over with my mom and Connor and they said cash and or cheques can be mailed to our moms place. They can even be dropped off in person at GF Strong to Connor but call and check with our mom Sandi first as he has lots of appointments now (604-202-8450) 

Cheques can be made out to:

Sandi Dick
#102 - 23215 Billy Brown Road
Langley, BC
V1M 0B7

Connors donations will be used to help him pay for extra medical expenses not covered by WCB and things he may need in the future. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is also something I have started looking into. We'd also love to be able to get him a new bed for when he is able to come home along with anything that would need to be changed or added to accommodate Connor.

Thank you all again so much our family appreciates all the help more then you'll ever know!

The Start Of A New Year

New Years Eve Connor got to bring in the New Year with a few good friends, Danny, Dill, Kaitlyn, Sara and our mom and her boyfriend Mike. They had plans to take Connor to the festival of lights at VanDusen Botanical Garden but the cab never showed up to take them. Instead they went on a walk and just had a nice night in Connors room. Our mom even bought some decorations, hats and noisemakers that Connor didn't want but I think they convinced him otherwise. They all didn't drink as Connors not allowed any alcohol for at least a year which was totally awesome and it just goes to show how amazing his friends have been!

2014 brings Connor the start of a new year. He will be faced with many new challenges that I'm sure will prove to be very hard and very frustrating. There is no doubt in my mind though that with his strength and determination he will be able to accomplish them all! Now will be the most important time for us to remember that Connor needs our support and patience more then ever.

It's now been 2 weeks since Connor has been at GF Strong. It was a good transition from Vancouver General Hospital to where he is now but unfortunately it was through the Holiday season. Due to the timing it's been pretty quiet around there, most of the patients went home and staff also went on Holidays so rehab has been off to a slow start. Starting today Connor will be spending a lot of his days with speech therapy, occupational therapy, physio therapy and other rehab assistants to help him build back his independence. They are starting to get my family to let Connor do more things without assistance which is sometimes very frustrating for him, being he's really only able to use his left hand. There's still no telling how much function he will get back in his right one but that is something time will show us. The staff at GF Strong are so impressed with how much Connor is able to do and how far he's come in 10 weeks. On the 14th of January we're hoping they will remove the pin from his wrist and give him permission to weight bare. Right now he gets himself in and out of the wheelchair by pivoting on his strong leg. They won't consider removing the plate until 3-6 months have passed. Connor's highlights have been visitors, physio and eating! He lost about 40 lbs but has now put back on 15 lbs in the past 3 weeks even though he's still on a restricted diet, he just eats so much because he can't wait to get his muscles back!

Connor has kept a good sense of humor considering all he's been through and you can even see a smile or hear a little chuckle every once in awhile! Right now he's pretty frustrated and really just want's to go home. He is on the other hand up for visitors so if anyone would like to come one night or on a weekend you can give our mom Sandi a call at 604-202-8450. (It's always good to call her and check first) 

*Update - Go figure as I was writing this blog at 12 pm January 2, 2014 Connor was given the OK to eat anything!!!*

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

From our family to yours we wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Hopefully you'll all have fun and be extra safe during the holidays.

This year our Christmas is extra special for us because it's another year we get to spend as a family with our brother Connor. Due to his brain injury he's only supposed to have 2-3 visitors at a time but over the holidays they made an exception. Today December 24, 2013 was spent with my family, my brothers, my dad and his girlfriend. Christmas Eve is always spent with my dad as our parents are divorced and we wanted to keep things as normal as possible. We also tried to make it the least overwhelming we could by splitting up what we did throughout the day. Today was all about Connor first as he had OT and PT appointments this afternoon. We got Connor a new fly fishing rod and an extra special case for it, he absolutely loved it! Connor took it out and was reeling it for a while, he was even switching hands. He told us it's been so long since he went fishing, he forgot which hand he used. That's the first time I've personally heard him say he can't remember something. Hopefully with all his rehabilitation Connor will be able to use his new rod and go fishing again! This year one gift we all received from my dad and his girlfriend except for Connor was a bracelet. Now I know what your thinking, why didn't Connor get one? Well these bracelets say, A Complaint Free World. We all got one to remind us not to complain about the little things. Connor is the only one to never complain and he's the only one that really has a reason to. Connor also got to spend the day with his nephews who he hasn't seen for a while so that was extra special for the 3 of them.

Like I said in my last post, this year Connor was our family's Christmas present. This picture says it all and we couldn't have asked for a more special gift!

Last night Connor received an extra early present. His PEG tube was finally removed! Connor for the first time in over 2 months is tube free. He was so happy and I can't even begin to imagine how good it must feel for him! Christmas day will be spent with my mom and her side of the family. Hopefully Connor will still be up for all the company. One more day and then he can get back to his normal daily routines.

If your wanting to make a donation for Connor you can do so via the PayPal donate button on the top right corner of the page. You have to view the web version if your using a mobile device otherwise you won't be able to see it.

I will hopefully have more updates soon but until then be safe and again Merry Christmas to you all! Xoxoxo

Connor's Next Journey Has Begun!

Finally after being at Vancouver General Hospital for 2 months, this morning Connor was transferred to GF Strong for rehab! It's exactly where he needed to be and now he is. Even though he is not weight bearing yet the doctors there felt Connor was more then ready in every other way. The hospital was amazed that they took him so soon but every doctor and nurse that have crossed his path this far are so proud of Connor!

They arrived at around 11:00 am December 19. Connor saw all the doctors at GF Strong to reassess his progress. They said that their assessment showed that he was far better off then what the doctors charts at VGH had said. They even gave Connor another swallow test and is now allowed to drink any liquid! Our mom, dad and brother Trevor spent the first day with him in his new "home" but then again they've all been there every day since the accident. Connor spent the day yesterday pushing himself around in the wheelchair with his one arm and one leg.

The sound of my family's voices and look on their faces in pictures show how much relief there is now having our brother where he is.There will be nothing short of amazing progress from Connor from here on out as they offer so many rehab programs at GF Strong that he needs. Everyday you see a little more improvement, a new miracle everyday. That is our family's Christmas present this year! My brother even said they plan on letting Connor out for a few hours on or around Christmas... We'll be keeping our fingers crossed he's up for it!

As my mom said, "To see him smile through the gleams in his eyes, words cannot explain." Many have said Connor has come so far from all the love and support he has from everyone, so thank you all again!

I will post some new pictures below and hopefully have more updates soon. Don't forget to check out Connor's video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVokGa78tFA

The Accident...

I've made this blog for my brother Connor Dick. His friends and I thought it would be a good idea to try and raise some money for him for when he's done rehab and is able to come home. He was blessed with a second chance but we'd all love to do a little more for him, for extra expenses not covered by WCB and whatever he may need or want along the way on his road to recovery! Every bit helps no matter how big or small. If your wanting to make a donation you can do so via the PayPal donate button on the top right corner of the page.

I figured I'd start off by telling you a bit about Connor. Connor is 21 years old and is 1 of 4 siblings. He has 2 nephews that adore him very much. In his spare time Connor loves to go camping, play video games (COD), watch movies or go to the movies but most of all he loves to fish. He also loves his music, especially Drake, he has to be one of his biggest fans! When he was younger he loved to play baseball and other sports. He's a huge Toronto Blue Jays fan. Connor is very quiet until you get to know him but he has the biggest heart. He's the kind of guy that usually wont say no, even if he doesn't want to do it. Connor loves his family and friends but most of all it's so nice to see how much his friends love him!

My name's Megan Dick, Connor is my brother and this is his story...

As most of you already know Connor and our two other brothers all work together for the same company and on the same job site. On October 24th, 2013 Connor fell 30+ feet while working on the UBC building in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. We were very lucky we didn't lose Connor as people die all the time from shorter falls then his. He sustained multiple injuries and to what extent we didn't know at first. The doctors told us to expect the worst and the road to recovery would be very long. Connor fractured his pelvis in a few places, multiple fractures in his right arm and wrist, fractures to the right side of his face and head, 6 broken ribs, he had contusions on his lungs, a couple bleeds in his brain and he was on a ventilator to help him breath for a while as he wasn't breathing on his own. The worst of his injuries is a traumatic brain injury called Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI). For the first couple weeks Connor was in a coma and knowing the extent of his injuries was so heartbreaking, not knowing if or when he'd ever wake up. We would just watch him lay there, so helpless, with tubes and wires everywhere and there was nothing any of us could do other than to just be there for him. My family has stayed very strong for Connor even though there were so many "what if's" and a lot of unknowns. As the days went on Connor finally opened his eyes and from there on you could see the fight and determination he had in him! They eventually put in a tracheotomy with no telling how long he would have to have it in, but the process to get it capped happened very quickly because of Connor. The doctors had been talking about removing the tracheostomy tube one day but they were waiting until he was swallowing on his own. One night I guess he wanted it removed so bad he took it upon himself to pull it out! (The little bugger) Thankfully he was doing well enough on his own that they just left it out. Because Connor wasn't able to have any food or liquids by mouth, they had to put a PEG tube in his stomach to feed him which will hopefully be removed soon. The doctors chose to let most stuff heal on it's own but he has had surgery on his pelvis where they put in multiple screws to hold it together and he also had surgery on his wrist with a plate and pins put in to hold it together too. It will be another week to three weeks until he can fully weight bear and because of the plate in his wrist, he's temporarily lost mobility and movement in it. Connor is right handed but has been learning to do things with his left. So far everything he's accomplished and improved on has been unreal to watch.

The things he's done this far are so inspiring whether it be hugs, high-fives, throwing the ball around, learning to swallow again, using his iPhone, pretty much all the things we do everyday that we take for granted. Connor gets music therapy with the sweetest girl whom my family just adores, as does Connor. She sings and plays the guitar for him along with some speech therapy. Connor hadn't said a word until about 10 days ago when the speech therapist was working with him and all of a sudden he said mom! Since that day his speech has improved phenomenally! What started out as one word has turned into short sentences but sometimes he needs to be asked to repeat stuff a few times so that we can understand him. He's very mono toned and needs to relearn facial expressions. With that said it's so great to be able to talk to him again and have him respond. The last few music therapy sessions Connor has even tried singing along when the music therapist comes to see him. He started physio a few weeks ago and to see first hand how much it has helped him gain control of his muscles and balance again is amazing. The other day they got him to hold on to the bars and lift himself up into the standing position, keeping in mind he can only use the left side of his body for the time being. We were all in awe when he did it and stood up so straight! There's no words to describe how proud of him we all are. Day after day laying in bed, moving in and out of his wheelchair and having to relearn how to do normal every day tasks and relearn them with only his left hand. Last week they finally gave Connor a swallow test and he is allowed to eat soft foods and drink thick liquids. I don't even think he cares how it tastes, he eats what they give him so fast!

The amount of support from family and friends for Connor through all this, along with the support for the rest of our family has been absolutely amazing. With his strength, his friends and family being there every step of the way, he's come so far already! Thank you everyone for all you've done for us, it means more then you'll ever know. The prayers, well wishes and all the kind words have helped our family so much and we hope that will continue until Connor is back home <3 He will need lots of support even when he's done at GF Strong on his long road of recovery.

GF Strong will be Connor's next and last step before coming home so we hope that will be soon!

I wish I would have started this sooner but better late then never. I will do my best to put up updates as much as possible. I've also added some pics below to show how far he's come.

Here is a link to a video we made for Connor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVokGa78tFA

Your strength is so inspiring Connor! We're all here for you. XOXOXO