Pettinger Family Coping With Injury

The serious injury suffered by Portage Terriers defenceman Braden Pettinger during an MJHL game has captured widespread attention in Portage la Prairie, and across the country.

Pettinger suffered a fracture to the C5 vertebra in his neck, and at the moment, is paralyzed from the shoulders down.

His uncle Larry Pettinger of Portage tells us how the family's coping with what happened.

"In the first hours and days after this accident happened, their direction in life was just simply to care for, and support Braden in every way possible, along with the doctors' and specialists' care. But in probably the last three days, they've grown past that, and they're beginning to say 'Now, what can we do to aid his recovery. We know what the situation is, we're accepting that now, we're going to move on, what are the roads and the avenues that are going to be available to us.' "

Pettinger says the entire family is grateful for the support they've received.

"People on the street, people that we're meeting in the arena. Our hockey games are getting consumed now -- and I don't mean this in a bad way -- with people shaking our hands and wishing us well. And that's phenomenal because Doreen and I in turn are reaching out and want to directly thank these people because we cannot even fathom the number of people that have called us, that have sent cards and letters, and are deeply concerned in how this turns out."

Pettinger tells us about one example of just how much people want to help.

"People have stepped up to do things, to travel all the way to Elgin, Manitoba -- two hours away from here -- knowing that something I said in passing that Rick and Dorothy were doing to their home, we've had people volunteer and say, 'Hey you guys, we'll drive to Elgin on Saturday. We can take care of those windows."

He stresses Braden's parents Rick and Dorothy are overwhelmed as well, adding their approach to the future will be one day at a time.

"If I had been confronted with this a week ago today, hours before this accident happened, I would have broken down and said, no, this is impossible, it can't happen to us. Now, we have accepted that initial situation. Each day we move on, and we can decide what's better today than yesterday, but I can't honestly say what we're going to do tomorrow, and the next day, and a month down the road, because I think those decisions are going to be formulated by what other circumstances happen with Braden's recovery."

A GoFundMe account has been set up and as of Friday morning was at about $85,000.

Westoba Credit Union branches in Belmont, Bruxelles, Carberry, Cartwright, Glenboro, Killarney, Onanole, La Riviere, Pilot Mound, Ninette, The Pas, Rivers, Shilo, Souis, Swan Lake, as well as branches in Brandon and Winnipeg, have set up accounts in Braden's name.