by PAUL RAYNER

Marc Loewen knows he is a lucky man. For one thing, he is lucky for his recovery from a serious accident this summer. He is also lucky for his support system.

The proprietor of Copperman Electrical is working his way back from a back injury and surgery from a car accident this summer. Well on the way to recovery, he is amazed by the support he has received.

“The support I have received from people in the community is incredible,” Loewen stated. “As well as family and friends, it has included people I have never met. People have sent cards, they heard about it through the grapevine. I wish to express thanks to the people.”

On the morning of July 3, 2007, Loewen was traveling northbound on un-maintained Road 120 west of Boissevain. He said he had gone to take a look at a potential job and was going back home. He slipped into ruts and rolled. Thrown from the vehicle, he sustained serious injuries that he felt could have been fatal.

“I keep my cell phone in my pocket. If I didn’t have it, I would have died. I called my wife (Amy), who called 911. It was a quick errand that turned my life around.”

He was taken by EMS to Boissevain Health Centre, then to Brandon and eventually airlifted to the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. His memories of this are obviously sketchy.

“The last thing I remember,” Loewen recalled, “was looking up at the lights in the ambulance. I remember waking up in the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. I thought I was waking up in Boissevain.”

He was unconscious for three days in intensive care in Winnipeg. While in the Health Sciences Centre, he underwent surgery to repair broken vertebrae. They fused his spine using two titanium bars.

“They said the location it was broken was the best possible location.”

After two weeks recovering in Winnipeg, he was sent home to Boissevain Health Centre, which he greatly appreciated.

“It was a very positive experience coming back to Boissevain,” he stated. “I was getting out to the country air. I felt I was in the right place. In the hospital in Winnipeg, there are so many patients. It is more peaceful in Boissevain.”

After a week in the local health centre, he was home. For four months, Loewen had to wear a back brace. He could not sit up without it, and needed help getting it on and off. When on, he was able to walk.

“Since then, I have been building my body strength up.”

Loewen said his prognosis is a good one.

“They say I should be able to do what I did before. There may be a bit of a limit to my range of motion. I’m a pretty positive person. If there is a little limitation, I’m pretty adaptable. I’m not worried about the future.”

Now off pain medication, he has gone back to work. Starting in the first of the year, he has slowly been moving to more hours. Presently, he can work six hours and feels in a month or two; he will be back full time.

Loewen is highly appreciative of the efforts of those who helped him during the accident and in his recovery. For example, he said Dr. Meyer Nell in Boissevain was able to get the construction stopped on #10 Highway so the ambulance could get to Brandon faster. Physiotherapist Merle Neufeld was a key factor in the recovery, with Loewen saying he is sure he would not be where he is now without his efforts getting his body back in shape. Friends even put in an air conditioner this summer so he could stay at home. It is this kind of support that has helped him get to the point he is at, and will continue to spur him to continue his recovery.

“I have been slowly building up,” Loewen stated, “and I want people to know I’m back to work. I want everyone to know how appreciative I am of the support of my family and the people in the community. I got great care and support and I appreciate that.”