A freak accident on a remote island off the coast of Nicaragua has left a B.C. father with significant spinal injuries and an uncertain future.
Bryan Anderson, who was born and raised in Victoria and has lived in Golden for the past decade, was saved by his 15-year-old son, Edward, who pulled his father’s head above the water and prevented him from drowning.
Anderson, 50, was with his wife Amie, Edward and 11-year-old daughter Amaya visiting the Corn Islands, about 70 kilometres east of the Nicaraguan mainland, when the accident happened.
Anderson was swimming on April 16 when he was tossed by strong waves and hit his head on the ocean bottom, said his sister Tina Horwood of Victoria. The impact rendered Anderson unable to move his body.
He was airlifted to Managua for surgery on his spinal cord and remained there in an induced coma until Friday, when arrangements were being made to have a private jet fly him to Vancouver General Hospital for further treatment.
Horwood said the injury could be life-changing for her brother, who is well known in Victoria, a respected contractor in Golden and a long-time competitive water skier and wake boarder, and helicopter skiing and whitewater rafting guide.
Anderson’s father, the late Dr. John Anderson, was a prominent local doctor and headed the B.C. and Canadian medical associations.
Bryan’s sister, Trisha Barlow, a Victoria nurse, flew to Nicaragua Thursday to accompany him home.
“Bryan’s a fighter, very well loved and he’s the kind of guy who lived every moment, especially with his kids,” said Horwood.
“We just can’t keep up with all the messages of support.”
The family had travel insurance, but additional costs for the flight home and other expenses are mounting.
A Go Fund Me page has raised $130,000 after only one day through about 690 donations.
Family friend Lois Soper said although the prognosis is not yet clear, “we do know that Bryan is facing the battle of his life and will need ongoing treatment and rehabilitation.”
She said Anderson is the main provider for the family, which now faces the possibility he may never be able to work again, and possibly never walk again.
Soper said proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to provide therapy and care, to ease the family’s monthly bills and make their home wheelchair accessible when he can return home.
Soper called the Andersons an “incredible family who has been so generous to others and who never fails to help their friends and family when needed.”
Horwood said the Corn Islands have been the family’s “second home” for more than a decade.
They spent weeks at a time in the tropical climate each winter because it helps Edward’s medical condition with his bones and joints.
The teen went through multiple surgeries when he was younger and initially wasn’t expected to have any mobility. “So the fact he saved his dad is very special,” said Horwood.
Tom Thompson, owner of W&J Wilson clothing stores in Oak Bay and Sidney and a long-time friend of the Anderson family, called Bryan “a really special guy and a jack-of-all trades who is well-liked and respected in Victoria.”
He said Bryan grew up with Thompson’s son and went to Sir James Douglas Elementary and Oak Bay High School.
“We’re all just hoping for the best for Bryan and his family,” said Thompson.
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