The family of a young father from Guelph is hopeful that he will walk again after falling off his bike on Wednesday night and being airlifted to a Toronto hospital.
Brandon Dennis seriously injured his neck and spine after he went over the handlebars of his BMX bike while dropping down off a ledge and landed awkwardly, according to his sister, Meagan Dennis.
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“He went unconscious for a little bit, so then one of his friends started doing CPR and they didn’t move him,” she said in a phone interview on Friday afternoon. “From there he was airlifted to St. Michael’s [Hospital] in Toronto.”
This happened near Stone Road Mall in the area of Edinburgh Road and Wilsonview Avenue at around 7:30 p.m.
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Ornge Air Ambulance landed in a nearby field in front of several curious onlookers.
Brandon Dennis suffered serious injuries to his spine after falling off his bike in Guelph on Wednesday night.
Meagan Dennis / Supplied
At the time, Guelph police described the 23-year-old’s injuries as “life-altering” and Dennis said her brother has been sedated for the most part and is on a breathing tube, but they have been able to talk to him briefly.
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The family has been told it’s too early to say if he will be able to walk again.
“We’re all hoping that he will,” Dennis said. “Some of the doctors are saying it’s very unlikely, some are saying that they are trying to be very hopeful.”
“One of the surgeons today was telling us that for most cases with somebody this young, a lot of them do not walk, but there is a slight chance.”
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Dennis said her brother was not wearing a helmet when he fell off his bike, but he did not suffer any head injuries and it would have probably not made a difference based on how he landed.
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She added the entire situation has been tough on the family at the hospital.
“Once I got here it was so very emotional for everybody,” Dennis said. “It was my aunt and my mom who were up here that I first saw and that night was so tough, but the next morning there was a little more relief when I heard he was stable.”
She said her brother is expected to stay in the intensive care unit for about two weeks, but his stay in the hospital could be much longer based on how his condition improves.
His rehabilitation will also be very lengthy, Dennis added.
He has a son who is about to turn one in November and friends have launched a GoFundMe page.
A post on the page said the money will go towards paying expenses during his rehabilitation and to his family.
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