Update September 27th, 2014
A Chair-ity FUN-raiser has been organized to help raise funds towards the new wheelchair, ramp and assistive devices that Quinn needs. Please click the ad to the right under WEEKLY ADS ( it appears in rotation so please be patient) to get all the details.
Re-run of our previous article:
A member of our community needs your help.
Quinn Page-Smith is a hardworking not-for-profit fundraiser and organizer, community volunteer and dedicated mother to four young boys. Becoming paraplegic at the age of 15 fortified her courageous spirit; and she continues to meet every challenge in life with optimism and light-heartedness, compassion and hard-fought wisdom.
Quinn works tirelessly for the Diamond Valley Boys and Girls Club, developing a teen program for youth in our community, and also as a grant writer for the Tetra Society, an association which builds custom-made assistive devices for people with disabilities.
Quinn volunteers extensively in the community; this year helping work in the gardens at the Oilfields Hospital, volunteering to chaperone at the Legion’s Jelly Bean Dance, sitting on the Board of the Friends of the Sheep River Library, as well as contributing to the Pedestrian Safety Committee for the Town of Turner Valley.
This dynamic heroine has received recognition many times for her hard work and triumphant spirit, including receiving the Mother’s Choice “Fabulous Mother of the Year” Award in 2011.
Quinn hopes to become a published author. I highly recommend you check out her charmingly poignant and hilarious blog at http://reinventthewheels.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/limb-i-ta-tions/ to see more about what makes her so beloved by all who know her. (GoFundMe site)
From Ramp Up Quinn’s New Wheels Facebook page:
On Friday, August 15, 2014 Quinn was transferring her wheelchair into her vehicle, as she has done thousands of times before. She was leaning on the back of the chair for support as she removed the wheels, when a mechanism on chair failed, and she fell forward onto her knees. Her right femur snapped in two, a very serious break for anyone, since it is the largest bone in the body. She was rushed to hospital in Calgary and underwent surgery to repair the break. Full recovery will be a slow process, however, with the doctors speculating that it will be take at least a year for her to return to normal. The purpose of this fundraiser is to help make Quinn’s healing transition to regular life safer and easier. She has been in need of a new wheelchair for many years, but unfortunately the cost has been prohibitive. It is an unfortunate truth that if she had been able to afford this new chair earlier, this accident would not have happened. (Posted by Mayor Kelly Tuck on the Facebook Page)
UPDATE – Sunday, August 17th
Quinn had her surgery late Saturday night at the South Calgary Health Campus. A pin was inserted to support the fractured bone. She lost a lot of blood during the operation, and so will be undergoing two blood transfusions today.
She is tired, but in good spirits; and overjoyed at the outpouring of support that is already coming in. Having the community rally around her at this time will help her recover even faster. She will likely be released from the hospital tomorrow morning, ready to begin her recovery at home.
If you are looking to help in some way, but are not able to contribute financially, the family would be grateful for healthy meals (frozen is probably best) suitable for a family with young children.
Arrangements are being made for her to have a temporary wheelchair to use until her new one is ordered and comes in.
A community work bee to build the ramp may have to include excavation by machine and likely an engineering assessment of the front yard and deck, since there are drainage issues on the property. It is a wonderful idea, and if we can set up the details through this page, all the better!
Be sure to check out the Go Fund Me page we have set up to receive donations toward the new chair, ramp and assistive devices: http://www.gofundme.com/Ramp-Up-Quinns-New-Wheels (Posted by Quinn’s friend Bridget Lacey on the Facebook Page)
Sheep River Health Trust has set up an account and you can make a donation through their website: http://sheepriverhealthtrust.ca/donate/how-to-donate. They take donations through Paypal and Canada Helps, or you can call their office at 403-995-5400 to use Credit Cards. The RBC in Turner Valley will also take donations (this account is in the process of being set up) and that will go to this account that the Health Trust is managing if you just want to pop into the branch and make a donation in person. All fundraising, including the GoFundMe site, will filter to this one account with Sheep River Health Trust. As an added bonus Legacy Oil and Gas have agreed to match $ to $ up to the cost of a new chair.
As stated by Bridget you can help in other ways by cooking meals and maybe swinging a hammer. Keep an eye on the Facebook page and the GoFundMe site for updates and ways to help. Over $7,000 has already been raised in the first day!