Stanley Schibler was recovering from a recent liver transplant in his Beaver Lake Road cabin Aug. 31, 2014, when there was a knock on his door.

When he got to the door he was asked to help with a man injured when his quad went off the road and down a steep embankment. The man鈥檚 name, he later learned, was Jules Delorme.

鈥淲e did the best that we could for (Delorme) because his helmet had come off, and he was a long ways away from his quad,鈥� Schibler said.

鈥淚t took two hours to get him airlifted out.鈥�

Schibler, 62, visited Delorme in hospital once he was allowed. Delorme had suffered a broken spine, jaw and suffered a brain injury. He was completely immobile and recovering from a coma that lasted six months.

鈥淲e had been in touch by Facebook, but then he disappeared and I didn鈥檛 know what happened to (him),鈥� Schibler said.

They lost touch for the next few years.

Then, by chance, the pair reconnected at CONNECT Communities in August, a brain injury clinic in Lake Country, which happens to be near Schibler鈥檚 house.

Delorme doesn鈥檛 remember much of the accident and didn鈥檛 recognize Schibler when he walked into his recovery room. But he had a surprise in store.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking at (Delorme), and he stands up and he walks up to me and shakes my hand, and he鈥檚 happy as heck,鈥� Schibler said.

鈥淚 said 鈥業 can鈥檛 believe you can walk and talk.鈥� The last I saw him, he was unable to walk and talk.鈥�

Delorme walked out of his room with assistance down the hall and came back by himself walking with two canes.

鈥淗e鈥檚 walking on his own, this is where I start crying,鈥� Schibler said. 鈥淚t was such an incredible feeling of knowing that this fella must have the power of positive thinking.鈥�

鈥淚t was pretty emotional,鈥� Delorme said. 鈥淗e saw me at my worst. I was supposed to be dead so I wanted to show him that a guy can bounce back, and that鈥檚 why I wanted to show him that I can walk with a cane.鈥�

Delorme said his recovery has been a 鈥渃razy journey.鈥�

Doctors told him the likelihood of recovering the use of his legs was slim, he said.

Despite a tough battle, taking him to various places in the Central Okanagan and Manitoba, Delorme persevered.

He had two goals: to go to the gym regularly and to get his own place.

Two weeks ago, he achieved both. He moved into his own place on Leon Avenue in 琉璃神社.

鈥淢y next goal is to come more into my son鈥檚 life and have him stay with me on weekends,鈥� Delorme said, whose son is now 10.

His calendar keeps him scheduled and he鈥檚 able to fully look after himself now.

He also has a silver lining to the whole experience, saying it changed who he is for the better.

鈥淭he way I lived my life (prior to the accident) was super stupid,鈥� he said.

He said he used to smoke, drink and even though he made more than $100,000 a year, when he got home he would spend it on whatever he wanted and was living paycheque to paycheque.

鈥淢y philosophy was work you hard, you play hard,鈥� he said.

Now he treats people with more respect, he said.

鈥淭he fact that he鈥檚 come to this point today is wonderful in the fact that his determination,鈥� Schibler, who was recovering from a liver transplant the day he helped Delorme, said.

鈥淭he fact that I had somebody was able to give me life through being an organ donor and as I鈥檓 recovering I鈥檓 able to turn around and help someone else, it just shows that it helps to help other people鈥� to hear (Delorme) tell his story, it鈥檚 a good story.鈥�

carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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