CPA Ontario

The kids had left for school; we were looking forward to celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary by going on our first cruise. October 14, 2004 stared out just like any other day on the farm.  Little did we know that my husband’s life and our whole family’s life would soon change forever.

A 5th generation farmer, my husband Jim was in the pasture field tending to his cattle. He was feeding them a large round bale of hay with the loader tractor, a job he had done thousands of times before. While watching out for the cattle, Jim didn’t realize that his left hand was resting on the loader control. 

Lifting the bale straight into the air, it fell and struck Jim directly on the forehead snapping his head downward to his chest breaking his C6 and C7 vertebrae and rendering him paralyzed.  

It was at 4:15pm. I was in town and noticed all the emergency vehicles racing past me.  As I came over the hill our pasture field was a sea of red flashing lights. From that moment on, for the next several months, I felt as though I was living a bad dream.  After being transferred to Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital, Jim spent 3 weeks in intensive care and another 2 weeks on the ward before being transferred to Lyndhurst Centre at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.  

I was told by the physicians Jim would never walk again. My heart stopped.  

Early on in Jim’s recovery we had a call from Heather of the Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario. At that time, I didn’t realize that she would become our lifeline.  

Heather answered all the questions I had going through my mind of how we would ever cope and where we could get help.  

Your donation is invaluable to the families that CPA Ontario supports. With your support, I know, from first-hand experience, that your gift will provide families with the same support and encouragement that our family and many others continue to benefit from. 

It is a terrifying experience when your whole world is turned upside down and you don’t know where to turn.  

Even though I am a registered nurse, I had very little exposure to working with people with spinal cord injuries. I was scared and apprehensive of how I was going to look after Jim when he came home. Where would I go to get all the things I needed to care for him at home? How would I transport him home and back to the hospital?  

These questions and many more were all answered by CPA Ontario. They are still there for us nearly four years later, answering questions and providing encouragement and support as Jim’s needs change. 

Life after injury can be stressful for the whole family. All the rules seem to change on you over night.  

CPA Ontario has been with us through this whole journey, working hard with us to make Jim’s quality of life as good as it can be and giving us both the peace of mind in knowing help is just a phone call away. I truly do not know how we would have managed without CPA Ontario in our lives. 

I have since learned that 14.7% of all farm operator accidents result in spinal cord injuries - a staggering percentage that had hit too close to home.  

As our lives started to become less hectic and we were getting back into the rhythm of daily life, I knew it was time for me to give back to CPA Ontario and perhaps indirectly help someone else that had experienced what we had been through. I became a volunteer and event co-chair for the Wheelchair Relay Challenge in South Simcoe.  

By sharing with you my family’s story, I hope I have also inspired you to help CPA Ontario by making a donation today or becoming a member of the Opening Doors Plan with your monthly donations - your donation truly makes a difference! 

Our life has forever changed but we have learned to adapt our new environment and situation. Life DOES go on after spinal cord injury. 

The tremendous support we have received from family, friends and CPA Ontario has been overwhelming. Please consider supporting CPA Ontario with your most generous gift today. With your help, they will continue to support families like mine.

Sincerely,

Nancy Milligan

Wife, Mother and CPA Ontario Volunteer

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