Fundraiser for injured hockey player tops $100K on first day

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This article was published 05/01/2020 (2328 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

More than $100,000 was raised in a single day for a Winnipeg teenager who suffered life-changing injuries in a hockey game last month.

Reese Ketler, a 19-year-old defencemen with the St. Vital Victorias of the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League, collided head-first into the boards during a game on Dec. 19. He received severe injuries to his neck and upper back.

After surgery to stabilize four vertebral fractures in his spine, it was determined he’d become paralyzed from the chest down, and had paralysis in his hands.

“If anyone is going to overcome these injuries, it’s him. He’s that determined,” said the team’s president, Dwayne Joseph. “He does have a long road ahead of him, and we will be there for him,” he said.

That support materialized over the weekend, when a GoFundMe started by one of his teammate’s parents to cover Ketler’s medical support, mobility equipment, and home and vehicle modifications, got off to an incredible start.

In less than 20 hours, more than $90,000 of the $250,000 goal was raised. Three hours later, by Saturday night, the total exceeded $108,000, coming from more than 1,000 individual donors.

By Sunday at noon, almost 150,000 had been donated by 1,360 people.

Ketler’s family sent out a media release over the weekend, saying, “We are grateful for the amazing support and prayers. We are in uncharted territory, and (are) focused on Reese’s recovery.”

The link for the fundraiser is here.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca