ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 | VOL. 78 NO. 39
The only newspaper in the world that gives a tinker’s dam about the North Peace. Est. 1944
Brad Brain, CFP, R.F.P., CLU, CIM, TEP
Nationally recognized expertise with local accessibility
250-785-1655 bradbrainfinancial.com
FREE CLASSIFIEDS!
DAY LODGE OPENED Whiskey Jack ski club opens day lodge at Beatton provincial park
15 Words or Less *Some restrictions apply.
Contact Lynn @ 250-785-5631 or classifieds@ahnfsj.ca
SPORTS h A5
When You Are Out in the Field, Time IS Money. QUALITY PARTS, EXPERT SERVICE! HoursMon-Fri: 8am - 5pm Sat: 8am - Noon
9224 100 Street, Fort St. John, BC (250) 785-0463
After Hours - Leave Message Flyers This Week: Peavey Mart, Home Hardware, Safeway, Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart, The Brick, Maritime Travel
QUALITY ENGINEERING TEST ESTABLISHMENT PHOTO
An investigator’s photograph of the CT-114 Tutor Snowirds jet that crashed at the North Peace Regional Airport on Aug. 2, 2022. The Royal Canadian Air Force’s Directorate of Flight Safety confirmed last week that an “improperly assembled oil filter” was behind the engine failure that caused the hard landing. Read more on B2
Determined to walk again Dave Lueneberg sports@ahnfsj.ca
SELL YOUR Motorcycle Car RV Boat Snowmobile & More
FASTER!
Place Your FREE Ad Today!
15 Words or Less Some restriction apply. Contact us for details.
buy • sell • subscribe to our newsletter
Contact Lynn @ 250-785-5631 or classifieds@ahnfsj.ca for details
For all the news we couldn’t fit into print: alaskahighwaynews.ca
$1.50 INCL. GST
They say life can change on a dime. For Matthew McDermott and those around him, it did in an instance one morning in July of 2021. The 26-year-old was driving the company crew truck with three other co-workers on the Braden Road, he explained. ` “We were driving out to site. I went to pass a logging truck and he short signalled me. He hit my back end and send us into the ditch.” “Pretty much after that, I can’t remember.” While it wasn’t immediately known, McDermott’s spine took the brunt of the accident’s impact and would lead to paralysis. The end diagnosis – he would never walk again. “When I left the hospital in Edmonton after three months, I still couldn’t lift my left leg.” Determined and with the support of a strong support network, he’s made major strides, advancing to a walker for shorter distances. “I told myself I was going to walk again,” McDermott said. His progress, however, has reached a pinnacle, of sorts. To be able to walk again, McDermott believes he’ll need help from an advanced stem cell procedure, a project only offered in Panama. Enter: I Need Legs, a fundraising idea by partner, Faith Phillips – its goal to raise
Presents the
People’s Choice Awards Who will be Voted Favourite Person, Place or Business? Fill out the form in this week’s edition and drop it off at our office, or online at alaskahighwaynews.ca/contests/peoples-choice
DAVE LUENEBERG PHOTO
Matthew McDermott with partner Faith Phillips at a fundraising event Sept 24, 2022, at the Taylor Community Hall. McDermott is hoping to undergo a stem cell procedure in Panama that could help him walk again.
the money necessary for the surgery, twoweek hospital stay, and travel expenses to the Central American country. “We’re hoping to reach our goal tonight of $30,000 which will just further Matt’s improvement and recovery process,” said Phillips Saturday night at a charity event in Taylor. The procedure sees the stem cells directly injected into a person’s spine. “Essentially, what they do is grow over time inside of him and they produce more stem cells which rejuvenate and heal the body. It’s about a two-year recovery rate after he’s done his treatment.” The hope is the spine will strengthen
Cast Your Vote Now!
enough to where McDermott will be able to walk, however, there’s no exact timeline to the science. In all of this, the pair appear to have grown closer than most might under the same circumstances. “She has been the rock since this all of this happened. She’s amazing,” McDermott said. “Matt has always been a good man at heart. No matter what, I’m keeping him. We’re good together. We have a solid chance at a good future together.” Saturday night’s I Need Legs fundraiser will give the young couple just that chance – they met their goal.
PEOPLE’S
CHOICE 2022
Fort St. John, BC
9916-98th St., Fort St. John • Phone: 250-785-5631