VANCOUVER, B.C. — Geoff Dunsire, 26, has been an athlete for most of his life.
Last July, just three weeks after joining his family on a golf trip, he was rushed to hospital in complete liver failure. The former hockey player was in a coma, on life support and doctors said he wouldn’t survive without a transplant. Infection almost left him blind and he became paralyzed from the neck down.
Since then, Dunsire has made some amazing progress at the GF Strong Rehabilitation Facility, according to his family.
“When I started I couldn’t move my arms or legs or anything. I couldn’t move my body,” Dunsire told Global News. “Now I can do all of that.”
But recently the family learned he was being discharged and sent to Royal Columbian Hospital. He says he fears his recovery will regress in the hospital setting.
“Our big concern is that his options were go home or go to a long-term care facility, which is like a care home for elderly people. Clearly he’s 26 years old and should not be there,” Tracey Dunsire, Geoff’s mother, told Global News.
In a statement, Vancouver Coastal Health said, “GF Strong is designed for short-term treatment and patients are discharged when their physical rehabilitation goals have been met.” They said it will be up to Fraser Health to decide the best place for Dunsire to continue his rehabilitation.
–With files from Julia Foy.
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