Both Laura and Jenna were unconscious immediately after. Derrick was screaming in the back to get out. Sandy took a minute to get her bearings and to figure out what had happened. She got to the back of the van and lifted Derrick out of the van and over the fence. She told him to go stand on the side of the road and just wait. She had noticed smoke coming out of the motor of the van, so felt it necessary to remove both the girls from the van. Laura, who was in the front, was tangled in her seat belt. It took some doing to get her out of it and through to the back of the van, out and over the fence to the side of the road.

Sandy then went back in to get Jenna. She was in the middle section of the van. She too was tangled in her seatbelt. Sandy lifted her out of the van, over the fence and to the side of the road. By this time people were stopping to help and the neighbours had called 911. It still took ½ hour for the ambulance to come. Sandy grew increasingly concerned since she remembered what the doctor had said about concussions. She knew the girls needed immediate medical attention. She directed the neighbour to call the relative who they were going to. Two of those relatives were nurses and Sandy thought they may be of help until the ambulance came.

A kind lady who had been driving by, stopped and immediately took Derrick into her arms and kept him calm and conscious. Considering he was only three years old this was a pretty traumatic thing to have been through. Once the ambulances and police arrived they deemed that there were too many critically injured people for one hospital to handle. Then both Laura & Jenna were taken by ambulance to Kincardine. Derrick was sent with a relative to go get checked out at the Kincardine hospital. The driver of the other vehicle and Sandy were taken by ambulance to Southampton hospital. Sandy was kept in the Southampton hospital over night.

In the mean time, Jenna was airlifted to London, and Laura was transported by ground ambulance to London. The girls spent 5 days in the Critical Care unit and then an additional 16 days in hospital in London. Jenna was in a coma for 1½ weeks. Both girls were deemed catastrophically impaired by insurance. The girls came home to have many therapies coming into the house – a constant revolving of the doors. This was very overwhelming for the family.

On the Monday after the accident, Derrick was diagnosed with a hair-line fracture to his skull. The doctor in the critical care unit felt he would be okay and did not need medical attention right then. At age 3 he was considered too young for ABI testing. In grade 2, he started showing signs of difficulty and was assessed. The advice at that time by the neuro-psychologist is that it was still too early to tell. A few years later he was assessed by Dr. MacGregor at Sick Children’s Hospital in Toronto. Dr. MacGregor diagnosed him with a mild traumatic brain injury. He has increased difficulties at school, especially as demands increase. Since he is not deemed catostrophically impaired, he has limited rehab monies available to access services required.

At this time the family continues to monitor the school progress of all three kids which is a demanding, continual process requiring endless meetings. The Ministry of Education hasn’t identified ABI as a special needs exceptionality therefore there are no services & no access to funding to help get these services. The insurance coverage pays for an Educational Assistant however this is frustrating because the children’s need for specialized rehabilitation will continue into their adulthood. The insurance benefits, many of which are now directed to educational support, will likely be exhausted by the time the children are aged 15 and 17. It is very difficult to imagine what will happen to the kids in the future – if there are no ongoing rehabilitation services for them. A brain injury is a life long impairment. As a caregiver she do not have luxury of time for a job. Sandy's kids are my full time job – to make sure that she can help them reach their fullest potential.

Jenna has a body tremour and many other medical issues. The family had to fight with the physicians for 4 yrs, before they agreed that something was wrong. The challenge was partly because brain injuries are so complex and no one has all the answers and partly because many physicians are not well educated about ABI. The family wasn’t taken seriously. Even some of the specialists like the endocrinologist, had not dealt with ABI as a complication in their field of specialty. Jenna’s hypothalamus was injured which affected her pituitary gland and affected her growth. She ended up on growth hormone injections for over two years. Jenna also has a thyroid condition related to her injury. Her weight sky rocketed even when she was eating very little. Finally Sandy got some help and now Jenna has lost over 30 pounds. Jenna's suggish metabolism will likely be a condition that will require constant monitoring.

Both Sandy and her husband, Robert had to learn new parenting skills & ways to help the children cope. They have had to battle everywhere to get the services the kids need. This becomes very exhausting. It seems that because the children have no visible scars or marks, people assume they are fine. Think about dropping a computer – usually you cannot see the damage inside – but when you try to start it, it won’t work – same idea as an ABI. The needs of an ABI child are not recognized in the same way that the needs of a child with Downs Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy.

Sandy has become very involved with the local Brain Injury Association and is the current chairperson. She has been very active in advocating for services for all survivors of ABI. She has worked on numerous letter writing campaigns to the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Ministry of Education, local MPPs and other groups supporting ABI issues. Sandy also sits on the Bluewater District School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee. In doing so, she brings forth the issues facing students with ABI.