Gabe Kibblewhite is cracking jokes. He鈥檚 missing a chunk of his hair. He鈥檚 had some fun with visiting nursing students. He expects to be playing baseball again as early as next week (HE expects that. Won鈥檛 happen as he鈥檚 on the injured list for at least six months).
And, like a lot of 14-year-olds, he鈥檚 starving.
What鈥檚 remarkable about the Vernon teen is Kibblewhite is doing all this less than a week after being severely injured when hit by a vehicle in a city crosswalk.
And he鈥檚 doing it, now, from the comfort of his Harwood area home.
Gabe Kibblewhite is a miracle. His friends know it. His doctors know it. His nurses know it. And his family knows it.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still in shock having him home,鈥� said Kibblewhite鈥檚 mom, Kailea. 鈥淓very single person we鈥檝e talked to has said they can鈥檛 believe where we are today (Aug. 2). 鈥淭here were three or four doctors who worked on him, and were off on the weekend, they came in and wanted to see him.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a miracle. They needed to see what this kid is doing. He shouldn鈥檛 be home already.鈥�
It鈥檚 late Friday afternoon, July 28, somewhere between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Gabe is coming home on his scooter from his gym on 24th Street, in Vernon鈥檚 north end, and he鈥檚 stopped at the crosswalk at 48th Avenue. It鈥檚 a route he takes religiously to and from his workouts.
Gabe looks both ways to cross the four-lane stretch of road. As he waits, one car stops to wave him across. Gabe looks again as he starts to cross the roadway. He doesn鈥檛 see a vehicle, possibly a pickup truck. It鈥檚 the vehicle that strikes him. That鈥檚 the last thing Gabe remembers about that afternoon.
Kailea had just returned from Penticton, where her oldest son was in a hockey camp for a week. She went to her office to do some paperwork to get ready for the following Monday. Her husband was en route to Vancouver with the Kibblewhite鈥檚 third child for baseball provincials. Kailea鈥檚 cell rang at about 6:15 p.m. Friends were calling about Gabe, and reaching out about the incident on social media.
Kailea called her husband, who had arrived in Vancouver, and told him he had to come back. Gabe was hit by a vehicle and it鈥檚 not known how bad he鈥檚 hurt.
Gabe had been rushed to Kelowna General Hospital, bypassing Vernon Jubilee. That move may have saved his life.
鈥淥nce I got to Kelowna, everything is a bit of a blur,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was told he鈥檇 been hit by a motor vehicle and that was about it. The social worker that met me tried to get me to see him before surgery, but there was no time. I talked to a couple of doctors on the phone who asked about releases and some questions, and I said do whatever you had to do.鈥�
Gabe had suffered multiple skull fractures, some bleeding in the brain, and suspected broken bones and internal injuries. He was in surgery nearly five hours. A metal plate was inserted (hence the loss of his hair on a quarter side of his head) to recreate that side of his skull which had suffered many fragments and cracks.
As for broken limbs, there was a broken leg, but there was no internal damage. His heart and lungs 鈥� considering the impact Gabe endured 鈥� were fine.
鈥淭hat was a shock,鈥� said Kailea. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the reasons we are where we are (today). Had there been internal damage, things may have been a lot different.鈥�
Kailea鈥檚 sister is a labour/delivery nurse in VJH鈥檚 maternity ward, so she prepped Kailea about what she might expect when seeing Gabe for the first time post-surgery in the intensive care unit.
鈥淚 was expecting the worst but he was just a little puffy. And he was missing quite a few teeth (liquid diet, thus, starving teen). And he was missing his hair. He said they needed to figure out how to make his hair look good. That鈥檚 all he should be worrying about. It鈥檚 all he should be caring about.鈥�
The next six months will be crucial to Gabe鈥檚 recovery. There will be lots of appointments and specialists visits. Kailea says her son is repeating himself a lot.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot we don鈥檛 know and might not know for a bit,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to do everything we can to help him through this. Now comes the reality. What will his future look like. He thinks he鈥檚 going to play baseball next weekend.
鈥淗e feels OK but doesn鈥檛 realize it鈥檚 the mental side that鈥檚 being affected. Everything else, leg, hair, teeth, those can be fixed. The brain portion needs a rest.鈥�
And he can do that rest at his home.
Gabe arrived Thursday, Aug. 1, to a hero鈥檚 welcome, as many friends and family members greeted him outside the family home with banners, hugs and fist bumps. His Vernon Canadians baseball teammates were there in uniform.
Gabe wasn鈥檛 wearing a helmet the day of his accident. His family wants to make the wearing of helmets the next cool thing.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to make this initiative, make it something to be the right thing to do,鈥� said Kailea. 鈥淕abe is charismatic and social, and has made an impact on everybody he鈥檚 met. If this is his calling, helmet promotion, we鈥檙e going to do it. I never 鈥� ever 鈥� want another parent to experience what that phone call was like. This could have happened to anybody.鈥�
It happened to Gabe Kibblewhite, 14, an eternally optimistic young soul. Asked if her son was having nightmares, Kailea said everyone is asking that and the answer is no.
鈥淗e says, 鈥業鈥檓 alive,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淭here are no nightmares. He鈥檚 so positive and that will be huge for his recovery.鈥�
The Kibblewhites would like to express their thanks to all of the first responders, the witnesses on the scene who stayed with Gabe and kept him calm, surrounded by love, all the personnel at Kelowna General Hospital, their family and their friends.
鈥淭he amount of support we feel is amazing,鈥� said Kailea. 鈥淰ernon is a pretty awesome little area. We鈥檙e very blessed.鈥�
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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