Acme mother Rhonda Samoleski is grateful for community support following her son’s recovery from a near-fatal accident on March 18.
Zachary McGrath, 3, was playing downstairs at home with his siblings and cousins when he began to climb a dresser. The unit toppled and a 32-inch television in excess of 200 pounds fell directly on top of the boy.
McGrath lay on the ground unconscious as blood gushed from his nose and mouth.
Within one hour he had been airlifted to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary.
After spending the first 24 hours in the Intensive Care Unit, McGrath was transferred to the trauma ward for the next five days before being discharged.
As McGrath’s situation grew tense, his family’s did too. Father Todd McGrath was out of work with Samoleski at home raising the kids.
The community rallied around the family. Trust and gasoline funds were established, allowing the family to buy groceries and drive into Calgary for physiotherapy and followup appointments with specialists.
“We appreciated it and it did help,” said Samoleski. “It was just a matter of sucking up your pride and taking the help. We had no money coming in and it was really good the community stepped up like that.”
Nearly three months later, the three-year-old is doing well and has completed his physiotherapy.
“Out of everything, he has hearing problems on his right ear,” said Samoleski. “They think maybe bones in the middle ear would have shifted.”
Depending on his progress in the coming months, Zachary may have to repeat physiotherapy and have a CAT scan.
“Other than that, he’s recovered really well,” she said.
Todd has also found work in Beiseker for the time being and Samoleski said the family is just going day-by-day with the recovery - both Zachary’s and the family’s.
“We’re still trying to catch up,” she said. “It’s been a long process but our little boy is alive and things are happening.”
The family wished to give special thanks to Stacy McKnight, Brenda Huff, Amanda Grainger, Melanie McCullough, Trish Mandel, Carol Kostrosky and the surrounding communities.
