[Update for April 24th]

Many updates in regard to the progress of Tarik to share. 

I will share in chronological order to the best of my ability

•First milestone is that Tarik Woke up from his coma. Now we the family are not medical practitioners but it’s been our observation in hindsight that, part of the coma was due to the heavy medications he was on. Though these medications may have been vital in his recovery and for being able to endure the surgery and tests they had to perform on him. Thankfully he woke up. 

•Next he had to go a brief period of time in and out of a diminished consciousness, only being able to respond with blinks and tongue movements. After some time it finally seemed he was “stable” and in their definition requiring the removal of his breathing tube before it caused further prolonged damage. There was a risk because at the time there was no way to know how he would fare on his own for breathing but we were all hopeful. Thankfully the procedure went well and he was able to breathe on his own, but in a minimal capacity due to damage caused from the breathing tube. 

•After some more time in the main hospital ICU ward, he was then transferred to the trauma ward. He was breathing better and almost able to utter words. But we as the family wanted to prioritize his recovery and were not too pushy on hearing him speak, so we let him rest and recover his body more. The staff in trauma helped to the best of their ability in rehabilitating what he had lost in a short duration, and so after some time he was again more “stable” in his condition. The way staff explained it is that he was now “graduating” to another place since he was cleared by them of any life threatening injuries. 

•Now he was moved into an extended care facility that is an extension of the hospital but off of hospital grounds. This facility is mainly for the care of elder patients and also patients in end-of-life status who may not be long for this world, so we the family were worried about this dynamic. But over time when he settled in, got his own room, we were shown that Tariks life was not in danger anymore and was being taken care of. For him, the staff and the family this was all a big change. The staff are not used to such young and high need patients, but they have tried their best over the course of the month and a bit he’s been there. The family and his friends have been there steadily from when he was able to be visited. And he has tried his best to maintain his spirits. 

•Now that he was settled in his own room, had healed a bit more with time, and was off of many of the heavy medications, he was able to speak to some capacity. This speaking comes with challenges as his memory, sense of self and awareness are all diminished but they are all things constantly being worked on through various exercises. 

•Physically he has been doing certain procedures with staff and can move his right side almost fully with control, there is semi-occasional tremors though. His left leg sometimes is moved by himself but since that is the side where the broken femur is it’s still a place where a lot of pain is. With the assistance of a large mobility chair he can be wheeled around comfortably. Mid April he received his own mobility chair for therapy. With guidance/assistance he is able to wheel himself around using his right leg or arm. To this point his left arm is still in a paraplegic state, though we have observed during sleep he sometimes moves it. We were informed that there is possible remedies to help it down the road, his next “graduation” will be a full blown rehabilitation facility. There is criteria he must meet continually to show the rehab facility he will benefit from their services otherwise they won’t accept him. So hopefully all the work of everyone; staff, family, friends and himself will pay off and he will be transferred there soon. We know that the road ahead is long and can take years and that the rehabilitation facility may only minimally help, but we still are seeing progress. 

•Speech wise his ability to converse, joke, and be himself is limited to his memories/brain fatigue for the day, but who he is isn’t fully gone as we were informed was a possible scenario early on. He can recall certain things he likes, special events or occasions, and other things. Sometimes it is noticeable that he isn’t able to remember new stuff, or recall other things from his past. As the brain is complicated we can only hope time will improve things yet again. 

•Dietary wise: in mid April he also got his feeding tube removed, with the assistance of others he can eat and drink fully, though certain items are restricted due to lingering damage in his throat/lung from the breathing tube. 

-With the initial donations that we were able to use, we have been able to provide Tarik all the best dietary wise to hopefully ensure his recovery will be expedited, and if not, at the very least it will make him comfortable and happy. The hospital diet has been present but not the healthiest and Tarik was a person striving for health with his conscious dietary choices. Thanks to all the gracious supporters we have been able to provide him a continual influx of nutritious items that suit his preference and recommended textures as outlined by the staff.  

Thank you to everyone who reads this, and even to others who have donated! 

Hello, my name is Cynthia and I am Tarik's aunt.

I would like to bring to your attention a terrible incident that occurred on Friday, January 24th in Ottawa. On this day around noon, my nephew was involved in a head on collision with an OC Transpo bus. 

What the doctors first assessed is that my nephew Tarik may have suffered from a brain aneurysm, which caused him to lose consciousness while driving. This led to him inadvertently run a red light and collided with a public bus. The reason we the family have made this conclusion is because the doctors said that there was damage deeper in the brain than what is typical with physical trauma from a car crash, though they said they may never know for certain. What is certain is his very critical condition. 

We were informed that there were 5 people in the bus, and it was first reported that one person was badly injured. Thankfully we have learned the injured person has been released and has not sustained life threatening injuries. 

As a result of this tragic accident, Tarik is currently on life support. He is presently in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) unconscious. 

He has successfully undergone surgery on his femur and broken arm which were severely injured. Though the biggest thing is still his brain injuries. Based on what the neurologist has told us, should he wake up, he may be partially paralyzed. Down the road, the machines that keep him alive may cause issues too. But he may not wake up, and should he wake up he may not be the man we all loved and remember.

The doctors haven’t given up and will continue to monitor his state and provide care on a weekly basis. There’s no way for anyone to know at this point what will happen. Sadly, the odds are stacked against Tarik.

At just 22 years old, Tarik is a student at Algonquin College, holds a good job, plays basketball, and is dedicated to maintaining a healthy lifestyle as an active vegan. He enjoys music and cherishes time spent with family and friends. Tarik is deeply loved by all who know him, friends, family, colleagues, and even customers that had the pleasure of meeting him. 

Currently, my sister, her partner, and her two other kids are providing round the clock support for Tarik. Though due to this they are facing financial difficulties as they balance time off work, hospital visits/fees, on top of dealing with insurance and other parties. Tarik will face a lengthy recovery process if he awakens from his coma.

The funds raised will assist in covering various expenses and support Tarik's rehabilitation as well as his family. I kindly ask you to consider making a donation, whether large or small, or simply sharing this message. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.