In sickness and in health, Ben Stanford is fundraising so he can stay by his wife鈥檚 side while she is on a long road to recover.y
A was started by the Kelowna man after his wife, Rachel, broke her neck while spending time with family on the May long weekend.
鈥淲e were at Gyro Beach and my wife and kids were playing in the water. I saw Katie and Rachel were about to go off the rope swing and the phone was handy so I just grabbed it and started filming. I saw Katie go off the rope swing, I filmed my other daughter in the water, and then I turned the camera back and I caught Rachel go off the rope swing and I caught the accident.鈥�
Stanford said his wife was screaming when she came up from under the water and his initial thought was that she was reacting to the chilly water.
鈥淚 started running toward her and my eldest Katie said that it was mom鈥檚 tooth, so I thought that we were going to go looking for a tooth. I ran into the water and when I heard 鈥楤en ow,鈥� and her hands were up going toward her neck a little bit. As I got closer I realized there was blood coming from her forehead, her nose, and her mouth.鈥�
Stanford works as a care aide for Kelowna General Hospital, and thanks to his basic first aid training for being able to calmly help his wife.
鈥淢y ten-year-old actually ran and grabbed the phone and knew because Rachel had shown her how to call 911, which is very impressive, and she brought the phone over to me and had already contacted 911 with an ambulance on the way.鈥�
Stanford said it wasn鈥檛 until the next day that reality set in.
鈥淭he medical knowledge is good, but really it鈥檚 the first aid training. Someone can get what I have for first aid training on a weekend. Of course, I have a little bit more with care aide, but first aid - I鈥檝e said in every interview - I can鈥檛 say enough good things about being first aid trained.鈥�
Now, the father of six is fundraising to make up for lost wages while he鈥檚 off work to care for Rachel.
鈥淲e鈥檙e set up at home. There鈥檚 just no way to get comfortable right now,鈥� Stanford said, noting his wife is in a world of pain and will be in a collar for eight to ten weeks.
Thankfully surgery isn鈥檛 anticipated right now, but Rachel has to go regularly for X-rays and it isn鈥檛 out of the question entirely. It is expected to be a year before Rachel can go back to normal life.
Donations have been pouring in over the past few days, and by the afternoon of May 28, the money was just a few hundred dollars shy of the $10,000 goal.
鈥淭he amount of outpouring of support we鈥檝e got, we鈥檝e had people offer to pick up driving for us or to sit in a give us rest breaks while I go out. We鈥檝e had people offer food and to make meals. Honestly, it鈥檚 more than we鈥檝e asked for already鈥� I look at the donations page and I see names that I recognize and I see a lot that I don鈥檛 and that really speaks volumes.鈥�
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brittany.webster@blackpress.ca
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