It’s a long road to recovery for a health-care worker who was involved in a serious collision, but she’s taking the journey one step at a time.
On Oct. 1 at 10 p.m., Jenny Belmes was driving north along Highway 7 on her way from Winnipeg to the Arborg personal care home, where she was working as a travelling health-care aide through an agency. Her dream was to study to become a registered nurse.
Near Komarno, she was involved in a two-vehicle collision, and Stonewall RCMP and Teulon-Rockwood fire department responded. The driver of a southbound SUV drifted crossed the centre line and collided with her vehicle head-on. The man from Alberta driving the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene.
The RCMP completed their investigation and determined the SUV driver was at fault. The collision analyst determined that high speed was the main factor and that the southbound SUV had been travelling at about 160 kilometres per hour when the collision occurred.
STARS Air Ambulance airlifted Belmes to Health Sciences Centre, where she underwent emergency surgery to her brain, abdominals and bowels. She also had a fractured arm, ribs and pelvis, plus damage to her eyes, legs and chest.
Originally from the Philippines, 40-year-old Belmes has no family in Canada except her common-law partner Steven Duong. They’ve lived together for 11 years in Winnipeg, and he has stood by her day after day to show his support.
Initially, it took several days for Jenny to regain consciousness, and then she spent the next month and a half undergoing treatment and therapy at HSC. She remained under close watch by teams of experts who specialize in traumatic brain injury, occupational therapy, ophthalmology, and speech and language pathology.
On Nov. 16, Jenny moved to Riverview Health Centre where she was accepted in a rehabilitation program that focuses on three main areas: physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language pathology.
Little by little, Belmes is working to regain her memory and her physical abilities. Throughout it all, Duong has been by her side. Some days are better than others for both Belmes and Duong, who sometimes struggles with exhaustion, frustration and despair at the situation.
“There are still times she can’t even remember yesterday. You stretch yourself so thin for your loved one and you try to do everything you can for them and the next day they don’t remember it. It really tests the strength of your own character — do you really love someone so much that you will sacrifice your body, mind, spirit for them, even if they don’t even know it?” he said.
“It seems like a movie sometimes, but it’s reality. I sit beside her in the evening until she falls asleep. I listen to her cry. I try to advocate for her with the nurses. And she doesn’t remember. That’s really hard and it was a snowball effect of me burning out.”
To help him deal with the overwhelming situation, Duong has been blogging about the entire experience through a GoFundMe page entitled “Help Jenny Belmes Recovery From Tragic Accident,” which also aims to raise funds to help with any expenses that aren’t covered. In addition, he started a webpage called Jenny’s Journal at www.jennysrecovery.ca to share details about her recovery. The reach has been worldwide, with more than 10,000 people reading Duong’s heartfelt words and reflections.
“I started the website as a way to cope with it and keep my sanity. I’m learning my own strength of character. It’s been tough,” he said.
“I’ve definitely cried more this month than I have in my entire life. It’s been brutal, but once we’re able to overcome it, Jenny and I will become much stronger people.”
