The last thing Brandon remembers from June 19, 2021 was driving an ATV to a friend’s house.
While Brandon doesn’t remember anything about the crash or its immediate aftermath, the events are still vivid in his wife Alexandra’s mind.
A nurse herself, Alexandra is no stranger to traumatic injuries. Keeping a level head and dealing with them is literally her job. “But on this day I was just a wife. I was hysterical,” says Alexandra, recounting her state when she arrived at the hospital.
Brandon’s collarbone and four ribs were broken, his face was bruised and bloody. He wasn’t able to breathe on his own. But these injuries were “the least of our worries” according to the doctors who met with Alexandra after Brandon’s initial assessment in the Intensive Care Unit.
“I had to sign consent for him to get life-saving brain surgery and they weren’t even sure if he was going to make it off the table,” remembers Alexandra.
“You just never know how these situations are going to turn out when they come in,” says Dr. Kachur, the neurosurgeon who operated on Brandon after his accident. “In the immediate period, it was just a matter of doing what we could to keep him alive.”
It was a devastating situation for the young couple. They were two years married, ready to start a family and suddenly all their hopes and plans seemed to be crashing down. For 13 days following his surgery Brandon was on a ventilator and his condition remained stubbornly touch and go.
“They weren’t sure if he would wake up or what his function would be because the brain injuries were so extensive,” explains Alexandra.
Fortunately, he had the best possible partner to walk with him on his journey to recovery.
Recovery and Rehabilitation
Because Brandon and Alexandra lived beyond the normal catchment area for the Regional Rehabilitation Centre (RRC), Brandon was supposed to return to his local hospital system for rehabilitation.
While Alexandra works as a nurse in her region’s hospital and is quick to assert that it’s fantastic with excellent facilities and brilliant staff, Brandon, she felt, needed much more than what her local hospital could provide to have a shot at a meaningful recovery.
So Alexandra advocated to get Brandon into the RRC. She put every ounce of her formidable intelligence, time, effort and determination towards
Brandon’s recovery.
At the RRC’s Acquired Brain Injury Unit, Brandon re-learned how to walk, how to chew and swallow. The therapy team helped him to get his strength and memory back, all while dealing with the emotional fallout and trauma from the accident.
“They were amazing,” says Alexandra. “Especially his rehab assistant, Diana. She worked with him every day: going to the gym, helping him out, putting him in his place if he was getting a little saucy. She was fantastic.”
“They brought him back,” Alexandra continues. “Dr. Kachur saved his life but the rehab team gave me my husband back. I think I’d have to visit him at a cemetery or at a long term care facility if they didn’t work so diligently with him.”
Through the combined efforts of the neurosurgeons, rehabilitation specialists, and Alexandra’s unwavering support, Brandon defied the odds. He
celebrated his first Father’s Day a year after the accident, cherishing the joys of family life that he nearly lost.
