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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2006-05-11, Page 10Special moment It was a moment of heartfelt thanks and good feelings as Holly and Steve McCutcheon thanked the community for its support during a speech. at the Friendship Night held in the couple's honour Saturday night. (Vicky Bremner photo) SAVE up to $ 20 0 0 a year Off the newsstand price If the newspaper you are reading was purchased at a newsstand... we have a deal for you! Having a subscription to The Citizen saves you money Newsstand price - $1.00/week Subscription price - 60c/week Yes - I want to save money. Enclosed is $30.00 for a 1-year subscription Name: Address - Town• Postal Code: Mail cheque & coupon to: P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152 Blyth, ON or Brussels, ON NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0 £4 Piing fait a ,c.atitne,s, holiday, Give TPI Lucknow Travel a call PAGE 10 THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2006. Community support means the world to couple By Bonnie Gropp Citizen editor The wonderful support of community has made a world of difference for Steve and Holly McCutcheon the last few months. The one thing it can't change, unfortunately, is the guilt Steve's living with day in and day out. "This didn't need to happen. Maybe if I hadn't been in such a hurry." said McCutcheon. It was a typical day Oct. 12, 2005. McCutcheon had gone off to his job as a mechanic, one he had performed for more than a decade. It was late morning when McCutcheon found himself working on an SUV which he had lifted on the hoist. "I was at the side, it shifted and came down." When the truck fell, it pushed McCutcheon so he was actually seated on the ground, and his head went through the passenger rear window. "1 ended up with my upper body sticking into the vehicle." McCutcheon knew immediately things were really bad. "When it was coming down I felt like it took a half hour to an hour. When was it going to stop, I wondered. I remember thinking that I don't know how to die, and worried about them finding me with my eyes open, so I closed them." The truck as it continued to fall, "crunched me like popcorn", McCutcheon said. "I had given up. I felt about three crunches and really thought I was dying. To. this day I don't know why I didn't." When firefighters arrived McCutcheon said they did their best to try to assure him. "But I knew. I said then that I wasn't going to walk again." He was transported to Seaforth hospital, but when he developed breathing problems they transferred him to London Health Sciences Centre Victoria Hospital. There he underwent surgery on his spine, a section of, which he said, "was totally wiped out." A few weeks later on Oct. 27 he was moved to Parkwood Hospital. but an infection a few days later sent him hack to Victoria. had a lovely weekend at Parkwood," he smiles. He returned to Park wood Nov. 7 where his rehabilitiation began in earnest. "Basically they want to get you to he self-sufficient. At Victoria I had started sitting up, and now they worked on building muscles, how to get into a chair by myself." Another thing he has had to work on is balance. Paralyzed from the waist down McCutcheon had to learn to sit up, how to reach over and not fall over. Being away from his family was extremely difficult, he said. "I had a hard time without my kids. I'd look at the pictures. It was so hard being away from them." Two-year-old Nolan was only able to visit once a week. "It was pretty emotional." Steve was ready to come home for weekends starting at Christmas. But as if the family hadn't suffered enough, their infant. daughter, Ava, had also become quite ill and underwent surgery at that time. She has continued to suffer from a severe digestive problem that is slowing her growth and doctors have as yet, not come up with a conclusive diagnosis, said Holly. "When Steve got hurt, I was strong, though maybe it was shock. But then when Ava got sick too, I was just such a mess." Besides dealing with a sick child, the couple has had to make the adjustments, both physical and emotional, in living as, and with, a physically disabled person. Their house was outfitted as best it could be, but still presents major challenges. The Workplace Safety and -Insurance Board visited the McCutcheons and explained that they would pay the costs to renovate the existing house. A design must be done by a WSIB approved contractor and be submitted with an estimate. Once it was seen what would be required it made more sense to start from scratch and put the money towards a new home. "A new home will definitely make life easier," said Holly. They also had to purchase a new van as there was little point in making the necessary adjustments to one that would only last a few more years. "We had to buy the van, but they will pay for the modifications. We'll be driving this one now until the wheels fall off," said Steve. He has also found himself in the position of being a new driver. "I have to take lessons with the hand controls. And my driving test is in London because that's where they have the vehicle that has the right standards." One of the biggest challenges, and perhaps the most surprising one has been the pain. "I can't believe the amount of pain I'm still in from the waist down. When my back broke all the nerves were severed too." Holly describes it as the nerves being like a telephone line where some of the lines still meet, but others don't. "Fot example," said Steve, "Holly can hit me on the shoulder and it gbes to the bottom of my feet. It's like the whole body's.hollow. You're knocking up here and I feel it down there." But the pain is nothing compared with the times of frustration. "People ask if I'm doing well, and I guess I am. But there are days when I'm so frustrated that I would pick up this chair and throw it if I could. I know it could have been worse, but I have times when I'm really feeling badly." Those times, he says, are often a result of thinking ahead rather than behind. "I am more upset for what's in the future, like walking my daughter down the aisle. And sports was always a big part of my life. This past fall I was going to get Nolan skating. That's hard. because now someone else has to teach him." Holly too admits to frustration. "Sometimes I'm angry. The big thing is I'm doing everything myself right now." However, she has put herself in herself in her husband's place. "I sat in the wheelchair and tried to do some things around the house, just stuff like getting orange juice. You see things differently after that!' "It's funny," said Steve, "we both find ourselves resenting the other's position from time to time, but wouldn't trade places." As with any life-altering experience, the couple's perspective has changed. "People complain about life sucking because they've got bills to pay. If you've got a house, a job, someone who loves you, life doesn't suck," said Steve. "It's made me see life at a different angle," agreed Holly.. "And all the support we've had is unbelievable. We just can't say enough." Though it's difficult for him to find himself relying on so many people, Steve appreciates everything that has been done for them. "People have been a great help," said Steve. "But I can't forgive myself for this happening. I will never forgive myself for what I've done to my family." Shared smiles It was a night to remember as the community came out to support Steve and Holly McCutcheon at a Friendship Night Saturday. In addition to a dance there was an auction to help raise money for the couple. Steve was paralized from the waist down in a work-related mishap last October. The couple's infant daughter Ava has also been suffering health problems. (Vicky Bremner photo)