Dustin LaFortune

Archive for November, 2010

Dear friends and supporters. You have been there from the beginning, through thick and thin; your messages gave Dustin something to smile about. He is well on to his road of recovery and while it is still a very long road, it’s not as full of the same bumps. Dustin is moving on to his new project (making Canada a torture-free zone) hoping to change the laws regarding Non-State Actor Torture in Canada; he’s full of opinions and endless energy.

So, with the original purpose of supporting Dustin through his initial recovery taken care of, it is both with heavy heart and excitement for the future that we announce that we’ll be closing the Facebook group shortly. It’s a process that will take a few days and you don’t need to do anything. However, should you wish to help speed it up a bit, you may voluntarily remove yourself from the group. This main site will remain up and active and the ability to send Dustin a message is still here. You may see some changes on this site in the future as it might morph into something usable for Dustin himself and potentially his interests/causes – it is his name, after all!

Again – thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who is good enough to lend an ear, share happy thoughts and send healing energy; your time and love is incalculable.

(This is an update compiled from a series of short messages Renee was able to put together in-between work and caring for her boys – Jodie)

The doctor reviewed the neuropsych reports from Calgary & Regina hospitals and all the assessments administered while Dustin was at Wascana. Not good.

The doctor had Dustin do a few special puzzle and chart games, asked questions and then had a regular counselling session (just with Dustin) followed by a short ‘debrief’ to process issues and set up treatment plans and trauma counselling schedules etc…

When we got home, Dustin ate and went right to bed.

Somebody sent links to all the really nasty online stuff to Dustin through his new FB page. He read everything. It was brutal. Now, he is really, really angry. He doesn’t sleep. The PTSD episodes are way more frequent and more easily triggered which often translates into physical pain etc…

Dustin attends the Neuro-rehab Brain Injury Clinic for physio, Occupational Therapy (OT) and speech. He also goes to the Brain Injury Society for Art Classes and a ‘peer group’. He has started a class called ‘Brain Injury 101′.

Dustin will NOT (refuses absolutely) do his ‘at home’ physio exercises. This includes the ‘mouth stretches’ which are very painful but necessary. He needs to reach a certain ‘level’ before the reconstruction can start. Dustin wants to have his lips and ears done ASAP but until the soft tissue is more elastic and flexible, the surgeon won’t do it. In the meantime, we are trying ‘alternative’ stretching exercises: getting Dustin to open his mouth and take a bite of a Big Mac or other large kind of sandwich.

He is registered and uses ‘HandyDart’ (which is not always very handy!). The bus picks him up and drops him off at the destination. Dustin still cannot get around without direct supervision. He is easily disoriented, distracted and forgetful.

Ryan visits one day each week to hang out. They do touristy stuff and/or go to a movie together. Once they went to a pub to have a beer and watch Monday night football. Another time, they went for a ‘hike’ and another time, they went to Undersea World.

I do all the ‘daily living’ activities with Dustin. We make endless lists/charts and practice things like grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, planning outings and activities, bus training, money management etc… Dustin is actively involved in every aspect of his life. The short term memory deficits are really becoming apparent. Every single time we start a task it is like the first time. He doesn’t retain much – although he has mastered MAKING COFFEE! During the day, Dustin requires ‘naps’ to alleviate the mental fatigue, confusion, frustration and depression. His emotional cycles can be interrupted (or re-directed) fairly easily with music and/or ‘FUN’. The repetition patterns are harder to break.

We spend a lot of time at our support/respite home/friends too. Dustin loves going over to their house because he gets to feed the swans and watch a big screen TV.

We have been working on Dustin’s victim impact statement. The detective from the Calgary Major Crimes requested that we complete the statement as soon as possible. It’s taking a long time to complete because just about everything triggers memories. I listen to Dustin talk about what happened and write down what he says (according to the instructions that came with the package). It is a miserable, time-consuming ordeal. I always wait for Dustin’s ‘lead’. He says something like: “Are we finished the statement yet?”

Needless to say, every contribution to the statement results in hours of counselling with the psychotherapist and days of grief for Dustin. Then there are more questions, more pain etc… One of the ‘easy’ parts of the Statement: Dustin is making a list of songs/videos that describe how he feels about what happened and how the experience of being tortured affects his life. He spends hours listening to lyrics trying to find exactly the right words to communicate his feelings.

On a positive note: we are probably picking up the dog (disabled assistant) sometime this week. He will be beside himself with happiness. CUTE is one of the best bandaids. Then Dustin will have a new activity: going to dog school so he, himself, can train the dog.

Dustin is a full time job.

I’ve applied for Case Management (through the Brain Injury Society) and some ’supports’ but Dustin does not qualify because he is not yet a resident of BC. Without BC medical (the application was submitted but there is still the 3 month waiting period), Dustin cannot access anything not covered by Alberta medical.

Once Dustin has a BC medical number we can try for PWD (person with disability) designation and then start the ‘eligibility’ and application process. The PWD will cover very basic stuff . Before I can even start filing applications, I have to find a family physician. ha! ha! ha! ha! Dustin has an entire team of specialists but no regular doctor. I spend at least an hour a day on the phone calling doctors and asking if they would accept a new patient. I have other people helping. We work from the phone book and from lists released by the Health Authority.

Dustin now has the ’special bed’ prescribed by the doctors in Saskatchewan because Dustin had numerous spinal fractures, broken ribs, surgical wounds, skull and facial fractures etc.

I’m currently ‘negotiating’ with another neuropsychologist who specializes in trauma and brain injuries. I hope he agrees to take Dustin on as a client. The other Dr. is attached to the hospital rehab program and this Dr’s availability is limited. Dustin needs what he needs when he needs it – not only during business hours and regularly scheduled appointments.

I really wish Victim Services would provide some counselling for family/supporters. I know several people who are really struggling and could use some help right now.

Today the news came out that Paxton has been found fit to stand trial and has chosen to be tried by judge and jury. The full story can be found on CBC’s site.

Dustin’s reaction when he heard the news:

I’m glad that he can’t get away with ‘crazy’. That’s what he always tries to do, but not this time. He hurt too many people. I’m lucky I survived.