SHEGUIANDAH—Tragedy is no stranger to the Kearns family, but the operators of Sheguiandah’s Green Acres Tent and Trailer Park and Restaurant has become well acquainted with the kindness of both friends and strangers on Manitoulin following a devastating accident that befell their grandson Scott Wheeler when he tumbled 30-feet down a cliff while he was visiting the Mississagi Lighthouse Park property at Manitoulin’s westernmost tip, about 15 km beyond the village of Meldrum Bay.
“This is the third time for us,” said Wade Kearns, who along with his wife Barb has seen more than their share of challenges in recent years. “First there was the windstorm (a microburst that toppled hundreds of trees in the couple’s park 10 years ago), then the fire (which totally destroyed the couple’s restaurant) and now this, this is the worst of them all,” said Mr. Kearns.
In the aftermath of the microburst the couple was amazed at the swarm of volunteers who descended on their park, chainsaws in hand to make short work of the cleanup. When the fire left them struggling, the community held a fundraiser for the couple. “If it hadn’t been for the community, we wouldn’t be here,” recalled Mr. Kearns, his voice filled with emotion. “This community really pulled together for us.”
On the weekend, seasonal residents of Green Acres gathered together with a few family friends to hold a fish fry fundraiser for Mr. Kearns’ grandson. Their efforts raised over $4,600 to help defray the medical costs facing the Wheeler family and Scott.
“If this had been a car accident or happened at work, there would be funding available to help deal with these expenses,” said Dave Desloges, who along with his fellow camp resident Farrell Cameron organized the event.
“We have known Scott for years when he worked here at his grandparents’ restaurant in the summer,” said Mr. Desloges. “He is like a member of the family.”
“This money is to help with his recovery,” said Mr. Cameron, “he is going to be incurring a lot of costs.”
“We brought this together in just a couple of weeks,” said Mr. Desloges as he looked around in wonder at the large crowd gathering around the fire pits and silent auction tables. “We have a lot of thanks for all the sponsors who donated prizes. No one we approached to help out hesitated for an instant. They were all on board.”
Mr. Cameron’s brother enlisted his band members in the Sudbury group Cameron’s Ceilidh to come and provide entertainment, complete with sound equipment and lighting. As the light of day faded into a stunning sunset, the strains of popular old rock and roll kept the campers dancing.
“We are so grateful for all of the support and prayers we have received,” said Scott’s mother Sandra Wheeler. “The people of Manitoulin have been so fantastic.”
There is a long road of recovery ahead for Scott Wheeler. Although he was blessedly not paralysed from his injury falling from a cliff onto rocks in the waters of the Mississagi Strait he was in a coma for some time following the accident and his surgery, which left large incisions on both his front and back, and slicing through the muscles, will require a long recovery time to deal with.
Scott Wheeler turned 28 while he was in a coma, but luckily he is now conscious and starting his way down the road to recovery. “It was a miracle (that he escaped paralysis),” said Ms. Wheeler.
He will soon be moved to a regional hospital in Hamilton, which will help take a huge load off of his parents. “It is about a half-hour, 45-minute drive away from our home,” said Ms. Wheeler.
“The Neil Young song ‘Searching for a Heart of Gold’ keeps running through my mind,” said Mr. Kearns. “If Mr. Young came to Manitoulin, his search would soon be over.”
