Korsin's Journey to Recovery

Korsin's Journey to Recovery

Just over a year ago, on June 3, 2020, Alberta One-Call employee Kim Fenwick received the call that every parent has nightmares about. The first thing she remembers was her son’s father saying “The good news is, he is still breathing.” 

Kim’s 17-year-old son, Korsin, had been badly injured in a dirt bike accident and was being rushed to the hospital in Oyen, Alberta. After about an hour in Emergency in Oyen, the medical team identified a serious back injury and made the decision to air-transport Korsin to Calgary for specialized treatment.
Kim, who lived in Medicine Hat, raced to Calgary by car, and in fact, beat the helicopter to the hospital, anxious to see her son. It was there that Kim and Korsin learned that he had severed his spinal cord and would live the rest of his life as a paraplegic, paralyzed from the waist down.

Kim immediately started the process of moving from Medicine Hat to Calgary, knowing that the road to recovery for her son would be long and that he would need constant support nearby. Kim set herself up in an accessible apartment, researched therapies and support programs, and prepared for the day Korsin could come home. Friends and family in Oyen set up an online auction and sold custom hats to help Kim, Korsin and Korsin’s Dad, Kevin, with expenses, and for a vehicle to be outfitted for Korsin when he was ready to get back behind the wheel. A GoFundMe campaign helped to fill in the financial gaps involved in moving and obtaining a new apartment that met Korsin’s needs. Kim and Korsin both expressed their gratitude for the support of the community and Kim’s work friends.

After back surgery, Korsin spent 3 months in the hospital in recovery. During that period, Korsin was supported by family and many loyal school friends. Even though it was during the height of COVID, it didn’t stop his friends from visiting him often, bringing him food and even once, springing him from the hospital for an impromptu day out. Kim says “Like any teenager, it is your friends that you’re closest to, that you confide in. He’s that kind of person that instils in people that they want to be there for him.”

Korsin left the hospital on August 28 and began a rehabilitation program at Synaptic Neuro Rehabilitation Centre in Calgary. There, Korsin gained the physical and mental strength, as well as new skills necessary to adapt and re-enter his life. It is also where he met Humbolt Bronco survivor, Ryan Straschnitzki, who is paralyzed from the chest down. Ryan is close in age to Korsin and provides him with a role model and someone who he can look to for inspiration and encouragement.

Korsin has overcome many hurdles and has progressed in his recovery at an awe-inspiring pace. Talking to him, I got the sense that he takes a no-nonsense kind of approach to challenges, rather than setting specific goals. Asked what the hardest thing about his recovery has been, his first response was “It’s all bad”, but after a bit of probing, I heard answers like “It was good to get back to school with my friends,” “It’s not great but it could be worse” and “I just look at what I need to do, then figure out how to do it.” 

Today, Korsin will graduate from high school with his classmates. He is waiting to take his driving exam again before he is legally able to drive his vehicle. Despite that, little birdie told me that he has already taken it out for a spin or two, and that he likes to drive FAST. He also likes to hang out and party with his friends. All in all, he sounds like a pretty normal teenager, and that is music to his mom’s ears.

What’s next for Korsin? Next year, he will be attending college in Lethbridge, and already has his roommate and apartment lined up. He is looking forward to taking either business or sciences when classes start in the fall. In the meantime, he jokes(?) about becoming a race-car driver, so it seems the sky is the limit. I think it is safe to say the future is bright for Korsin Dick, and we couldn’t be prouder and happier for him and his mom.

Sher Kirk