Sunday, June 19 marked six years since Kamloops man Jessie Simpson was brutally attacked with a metal baseball bat.
Jessie’s mom Sue Simpson said the shock of learning about the attack has lessened over time but never goes away.
“At 4 a.m. the police had called and said that Jessie was in Kamloops hospital having brain surgery,” Sue said recalling the day of the attack. “I didn’t find out what had happened until I was at the hospital. The police came and talked to me and told me that Jessie was assaulted and they had the man in custody.”
Sue said it wasn’t until she saw her son that she realized the severity of the attack.
“I know that the police officer that was with Jessie had said that [Kristopher Teichrieb] was holding onto Jessie’s bloody body and telling the police that he had gotten him, which is gross. It was a shock.”
Jessie spent the next 10-and-a-half months in a coma, but it was never an option for Sue to take him off life support.
“Jessie’s young and I’m going to wait,” Sue said is the attitude she took and it was worth it. “He woke up a month later.”
Nearly a year after the attack Jessie woke up and said ‘mom’, a dream come true for Sue.
Through the help of donations and the community, Sue has been able to bring Jessie home on weekends to spend more time together.
Attacker Kristopher Teichrieb, plead guilty to aggravated assault and has been ordered to pay the family $6.9 million. However, Sue said they have yet to see even a dollar.
READ MORE: Kamloops man to pay $7M to victim after life-altering attack
As time moves along, she said she will continue to focus on making her home comfortable for Jessie on the weekends, updating their van for easier transportation, and has started writing a book.
“We’ve had over $65,000 raised to help Jessie, help us renovate the house, help us to get the van that we do have,” Sue said. “It seems like every time we go through something someone’s there for us. He’s definitely got some angels out there looking after him and myself. Very thankful.”
READ MORE: Kamloops man heading home six years after catastrophic injury
Jessie turns 25 on July 26, but Sue said the attack has left him in the past. “I tell him he’s 25 and he says ‘no, I’m 17’, 17 for the rest of his life, I guess,” Sue laughed.
The family is still collecting donations to keep up with transportation, equiptment, and care costs. Donations can be made on GoFundMe.
@thebrittwebster
brittany.webster@blackpress.ca
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