The son of Alberta cabinet minister and Sundre-area MLA Jason Nixon is back at home recovering nearly four months after a vehicle rollover landed him in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
In a statement released March 30, Nixon and wife Tiffany said Austin was discharged from Alberta Children’s Hospital last weekend and returned home to Sundre to continue his rehabilitation as a day patient.
“There will be many challenges ahead, including regaining the ability to eat and adjusting back to school. But we could not be more proud of Austin’s determination through this process and we are confident he will fully recover,” the Nixons said.
On Dec. 1, the teen had been travelling with his twin sister Chyanne when their vehicle rolled over in what police said was possibly as a result of a deer running across the road west of the former Bergen Store in Mountain View County.
While Chyanne was found by responders to have escaped essentially unscathed, Austin was extricated by firefighters and subsequently airlifted by STARS to Calgary Foothills Medical Centre, where for the first few days following the collision he remained in a life-threatening condition.
“The weeks that Austin was in a coma were by far the worst of our lives, and the possibility that Austin would never wake up was overwhelming to our family,” the Nixons said.
They credit health care workers, family, friends, God and “thousands of prayer warriors,” for supporting Austin’s recovery.
“The day that he woke up from his coma is a day that we will celebrate for the rest of our lives. While we knew the journey ahead would be long we were grateful that we would have the chance to support him,” the Nixons said.
Austin has continued to face his recovery bravely and has been exceeding expectations, they said.
“Every day, we are amazed by Austin’s progress. He has fought every step of the way, starting with learning to move again, and to speak, then to learning to walk and care for himself. Now he is moving on to the next stage of his recovery and we know he is up to the task.”
The road will be long, they noted.
“But through the support of countless people from the first moments at the accident scene, to the ICU, to the recovery unit, and now Austin’s long-term recovery program, we are able to walk the path ahead with the incredible medical team who has dedicated themselves to getting Austin whole.
“Thank you again for all of your support and prayers. We cannot and never will be able to fully express our gratitude to each and every one of you,” the statement concludes.
