The family of a Gabriola Island man is seeking to raise $75,000 after he suffered a spinal cord injury in a motor vehicle incident earlier this week.
According to a GoFundMe, Kaman Somers was involved in an accident Aug. 25 and airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital, where it was discovered he had severed his spinal cord as well as suffering broken bones and other injuries. Somers is the sole provider for his wife and four children and won’t be able to work at his job at Environmental Cistern Cleaning Inc. for the foreseeable future, according to Daniell Adair, Somers’ sister-in-law.
Adair is hoping to raise the money to help pay for rent, travel expenses related to medical appointments, medical equipment and retrofitting Somers’s home with a ramp. The full extent of what is needed is not currently known, as Somers only came out of surgery Thursday, said Adair. “It is now a waiting game for the swelling to decrease,” she said, adding that not knowing when he can come home is the hardest thing.
“My brother-in-law is a hard-working provider,” said Adair. “He loves his family, he loved being the provider of his family, he always had a smile on his face, an outdoor guy, loved fishing and kayaking and camping. Just a well-rounded young man.”
As of Aug. 27, close to $40,000 has been raised and Adair said she has been blown away by the community’s compassion.
“The community of Gabriola is rallying together to make sure that there is support now, meaning food set aside in the freezers, because they don’t have a deep freeze here, so they’re storing meals in their own homes,” said Adair.
Takeout meals are being offered by local restaurants and people are also offering advice as city-dwelling Adair must also care for Somers’s dogs, chickens and rabbits.
For more information, go to www.gofundme.com and search for “Kaman Somers long recovery from spinal injury.”
reporter@nanaimobulletin.comLike us on Facebook and follow Karl on Twitter and Instagram
