Double amputee to stay in hospital until social workers find him a home

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This article was published 31/10/2017 (3245 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg man whose legs were amputated after being hit by a train has been told he’ll be allowed to stay in hospital till his social workers find him a place to live.

Despite being told multiple times over the past week he’d be given an early and unexpected discharge from the Health Sciences Centre, on Tuesday Elijah Gunner said hospital staff had back-pedalled.

“It’s a relief, since not knowing what was going to happen made it difficult to prepare for what’s next,” the 20-year-old said.

“I’ll be allowed to stay until my social workers can figure out a place for me to go. I’m hoping they’ll be able to do that within the next month.”

Gunner is currently on extension of care with Child and Family Services. He says the hospital’s social worker, as well as his CFS social worker, will be working together to try to find him a place to live.

Once that happens, he’ll need a number of renovations — a ramp, handles near the toilet, a bench by the bath, etc. — in order to get around his place.

The young man has been in hospital since Sept. 18, when he was hit by a train near the intersection of Molson Street and Norwich Avenue. Following the accident, he had both his legs amputated — one above the knee, one below it.

Recently, the engineer of the train that hit Gunner told the media the intersection is notoriously dangerous, with people often running across the tracks.

While he has a friend he could stay with had he been discharged, Gunner said it would not have been a good situation for him as he continues to try to make positive changes in his life.

Since being in hospital, the young man has pledged to enter a rehabilitation facility for alcohol addiction. He hopes to one day open a group home to help kids growing up in similar situations as his.

“I was born into foster care and then just bounced around from group home to group home and got in a lot of trouble. It’s literally all I’ve known my life. I don’t think any kid should go through what I went through, and my dream now is to one day open up my own group home,” he said in an earlier interview.

But that plan hit a bump in the road around a week ago, as Gunner admits to “falling off the wagon” one night while in hospital. He characterized the drinking as a one-time thing, however, and aside from that night says he hasn’t drank since the accident.

Had he moved in with his friend he would have been right back in the situation — one where partying and drinking were common — that helped lead to his injuries in the first place. In addition, the home wouldn’t have been wheelchair accessible.

His mother, who came to Winnipeg from Ontario following the accident, doesn’t currently have a place to live. So he doesn’t have the option to move in with family.

Gunner said knowing he won’t be discharged without a place to live will allow him to focus on what he needs to do next as he continues his recovery: staying positive, staying sober and participating fully in physiotherapy sessions at the hospital.

A spokeswoman for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said while she could not comment on this specific case due to privacy laws, she said “generally speaking, discharge does not occur until a patient is medically ready to leave the hospital and appropriate accommodations and any necessary community supports are in place. We continue to provide care to all patients and work with them and their supports towards safe discharge.”

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