An Australian woman who was injured after being struck by a car last month is heaving a sigh of relief to be on her way back to her home country, after several days thinking she would have to be discharged from hospital out into the cold, literally.
The Cowichan Valley community has stepped up to help out the family of a young girl who was seriously injured in the same crash, but Renae Young, the girl's caregiver was told she would have to go from hospital to Warmland House homeless shelter.
Young suffered a badly broken leg in the accident on Nov. 15, and is now confined to a wheelchair. She was living with her partner in a camper prior to the accident, but can't get into the camper now.
She was very upset by the suggestion she would be moving into the homeless shelter, explaining that while it would have put a roof over her head at night, rules state that she couldn't stay there between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. With snow in the forecast for next week, Young didn't know what she was going to do.
"I've been basically told to go out and go to the library and places like that," Young said Thursday afternoon before finding out she'd be heading home. "But I'm petrified to cross the street. I can barely get around. I've been abandoned, so to speak."
"I originally came here on a one-way ticket," she explained. "I had planned to apply for a work visa, but that's pretty pointless now."
The family of Amber Lynn Ferguson, the other victim of the accident, was unable to help Young. They are in Vancouver as Amber Lynn goes through treatment at the BC Children's Hospital.
"They're struggling themselves," Young said.
A gofundme.com account has been set up to raise money for Amber Lynn's family, as well.
Young's story took a turn for the better when she learned Friday morning that she would be heading back to Australia courtesy of ICBC insurance, as Warmland House did not have the facilities to accommodate her in her condition.