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I was on a training course in Vancouver, when I cut my knuckle on the insides of a photocopier. No big deal as a copier technician it was something that happened quite frequently. When I woke up the next day, my knuckle was swollen to the limits of the skin. I cleaned it up and didn't think anything further of it. That night I drove back to my home in Courtenay, and arrived around midnight. I went straight to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, I was very sick,the flu I thought, I also had a very sore left shoulder. I thought, maybe I had dislocated it while I was sleeping on the couch. That day I drank any fluid I had left in the house, orange juice, milk, water and Pepsi. On Sunday morning, I felt worse and knew that I had to go to work on Monday, after all I had been away on training for two weeks. So I went to the clinic down the road. I informed the Doctor that I had probably dislocated my shoulder while sleeping on the couch, and asked him to put it back in place. He said that I needed x-rays and would have to go to the hospital.

When I arrived at the hospital (August 20, 2000), I told them my conditions, that I had the flu and had dislocated my shoulder. They told me I was very sick and that I would be flown to a Victoria hospital by helicopter. They also informed me that my family had been notified and would be flying in from Los Angeles to meet me in Victoria. A Doctor awakened me the next day, introducing me to my mother and sister.

That was the last thing I remember for three weeks. I woke up in the ICU unit of the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria. I spent the next couple of weeks finding out what had happened to me during those three weeks and adapting to my new body. I was told that I almost died and that my mother had authorized last rites. I was informed that very persistent Doctors named Dr. Lorne D. Porayko and Dr. Bonnie Gleason had probably saved my life by being so insistent and persuasive. Apparently these Doctors wouldn't give up on me and keep insisting on more surgeries and further testing. I'm sure glad they did. I was released from the hospital on September 29, 2000.

I had many Doctors at Royal Jubilee Hospital and at Victoria General Hospital work on me. But, I must thank those two doctors and my favorite plastic surgeon, Dr. Jason Gray for doing such a bang up job on me. I must also thank all the doctors, nurses and therapists involved in my healing and care. I would also like to thank my employer, Minolta BEC whom I'm told, took such good care of my family while I was sick. Last but certainly not least I would like to thank my family, I knew you were there, in my dreams.

I'm still on the road to recovery here in June 2001. The lengthy and comatose hosptial stay has left me with a disabling weekening in my legs and a loss of control of my bodily functions. I also have meralgia paresthetica (a numb feeling in my right thigh), hopefully that can be fixed with injections. I have had 5 more surgeries since I got out of the hospital and I have at least a couple more. Dr. Gray continues to try to repair my massive flesh loss areas with continued plastic surgery. My Neurologist and other Doctors have been unable to tell me what exactly is wrong with the lower half of my body, and they say that even if they could identify the cause they probably couldn't fix it anyway.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.