Three years ago, Corey Hubley’s life changed in an instant. He survived a car crash north of Calgary, near Water Valley, but his spine was broken. He’s now paralyzed from the chest down.
He says the elevator in his McKenzie Towne condo hasn’t been working for the past six weeks so he hasn’t been able to leave the building.
“It’s so easy to forget the small things that we take for granted everyday,” Hubley said on Friday.
“Not being able to take my son to a park or not even being able to get food or anything that I need. It’s emotionally devastating.”
Crews were working on the elevator on Friday.
A sign in the building dated July 10 says additional materials required to fix the elevator had to be sourced out.
The management company says a basement flood added to the delay. Simco Management did not return a request for comment from Global News.
Some neighbours have offered to bring Hubley food.
He says he wanted to speak out about this to give others in a similar circumstance a voice.
“For people like me in my situation, you need to stay strong and believe in yourself.
“Say something and don’t be scared to say something because that doesn’t get anybody anywhere; it only makes it worse,” Hubley said.
The Calgary Fire Department says in the event of a fire, people with mobility challenges should stay in their unit, call 911 explaining their situation and wait for advice from first responders. Fire officials advise against carrying someone down the stairwell and to let fire crews make the call on how to safely help a person who can’t get out on their own.
Hubley is thankful for the neighbours who have offered to help while the elevator has been broken.
“I know people are truly good-hearted to the core and they want to help,” he said.
“Just do it. Get out there and listen to somebody. Know if they can and if they can’t do it, be their voice.”