for Rueben Rempel
By Miles Patrick Yohnke
© 2022 © 2010 All Rights Reserved.
LUCKY INTRODUCTION
In 2010, I wrote a simple, cute little poem that documented a real event that occurred in my life. I released the poem shortly after. 12 years later, I found myself writing the back story, which I share with you today. In the article you'll see the name Alexandra Wiwcharuk. Please click on her name below to learn more about her life.
LUCKY
We met in dire circumstances.
You,
Lying on rocks,
With your motorized wheelchair on top of you.
It wasn't a good look,
For you,
Rueben.
With the South Saskatchewan River flowing behind us,
You were lucky,
Really lucky.
Your angel was looking over you,
That 6th day of August.
We met new friends that day:
Larry,
Five paramedics,
And a bee
On that hot Friday afternoon.
The only thing hurt,
That day,
Was your pride.
Lucky.
FOOTNOTE TO LUCKY
Here is the story behind my poem, Lucky.
Please click on image to enlarge
It was a hot Friday afternoon, August 6, 2010. I was out for a bike ride on my 1987 celeste green Bianchi bicycle.
It was another one of those carefree summer rides, just savouring the beautiful city of Saskatoon.
I had done a lap around the Meewasin Trail. On that lap I came across two older men in their late 70s, both in motorized wheelchairs. They made an impression on me as I cycled past them. They too were enjoying the day. I could sense their united friendship.
When I did another lap around the trail and was nearing the weir, there was now just one man. He was frantically trying to get my attention: "My friend, my friend. He is down. Please help," he begged.
"Of course," I replied.
North of the CP bridge, not far from where they found the body of the 1962 unsolved murder of Alexandra Wiwcharuk is a narrow old concrete path that leads down to the weir.
The two men had decided to go down the path single file, of course, due to its width. In spots there is a sharp drop off with a lot of rocks below. One of the men had gotten too close to the edge and tumbled down, landing on the rocks. His motorized wheelchair was on top of him.
I asked him if he was okay and if he thought anything was broken. He replied: "I don't think anything is broken. I am not in any real pain. I just can't move for my wheelchair being on top of me."
I had no idea how heavy a motorized wheelchair could be. In my mind, I thought I could get it off him without any trouble. The riverbank was steep, and it was hard to reach him. The numerous rocks made it difficult to really get a good footing. I was able to lift the motorized wheelchair just enough so that it wasn't crushing or hurting him. I now had to balance the wheelchair with one hand while reaching into my pocket with my other hand for my phone to dial 911.
The dispatcher, a kind lady, asked for our location and the man's status. I gave her the information noting that I was holding the very heavy, wedged-between-rocks wheelchair off him with one hand while talking to her with the other.
I was having a very difficult time trying to do all of this. I asked her a few times just to send help so I could get back to being able to assist him with two hands but she wanted to get more information. I talked with her for the entire 7 minutes before the emergency rescue team arrived.
To my surprise, a whole bunch of them arrived: two fire trucks, several police cars, two ambulances, plus a supervisor. It was interesting to see them sizing up the situation. There was talk of bringing in something to lift the motorized wheelchair off him. And more talk as I held the wheelchair as best I could.
Finally, I just said: "perhaps a few of you can help me lift this off him and put it back onto the path so you can address his needs."
At first, they didn't want me involved in the process due to liability reasons, I'm sure. I wouldn't have any of it. I wanted to get the job done that I couldn't finish on my own. In the end it took five of us to get it done. We all struggled with our footing. He and the wheelchair were completely wedged into the tight space. Plus, we had a curious bee flying around us the whole time.
When Rueben Rempel told me he thought he was okay and that nothing was broken, I kept it light. I talked to him a lot. I was my normal goofy, playful self. In turn this lifted his spirits to the best they could be under such circumstances.
All in all, it was a good time seeing everyone rally and come together.
It was just like one of those scenes in a film as he was lying on a stretcher and being lifted into the ambulance. Before the doors closed, and they drove away, I tapped him on his leg. He said: "You'll be in my will."
R.I.P. (Rest In Peace) Alexandra Wiwcharuk
The opening photos of myself was taken by Natalie Struck. To learn more about Natalie Struck, please click here: https://nataliestruck.com