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WARNING: This story contains details that may be disturbing to some readers.
Bridgette Hagen is slowly making progress in a Sudbury hospital.
The Wawa mother of two left the intensive care unit on Christmas day to go to the orthopedic ward for intensive rehabilitation.
“She will be there for a while,” her husband Kevin said on Wednesday.
“Three to six months from now she will need a hip replacement. Dental surgery is in the future also – she has several teeth missing and some are loose.”
Bridgette is no longer in the coma that was medically induced after she suffered life-altering injuries in the Dec. 12 shooting at the Northern Credit Union branch in Wawa.
“The breathing tube and feeding tube are out. She has one last IV in her for antibiotics,” he said.
Bridgette, who is talking quite a bit now, doesn't remember the incident except a loud noise.
She’s had several surgeries.
Bridgette's hand and part of her forearm have been amputated, her appendix was removed and she has had surgery on her lungs, heart and colon to stop the internal bleeding.
Her pelvis and femur are shattered and she has pellets in her face, jaw and eye cavity.
There are good days and bad days, Kevin said.
“She's happy when she gets to see her family.”
A family friend, Bob Cliffe, started the GoFundMe on behalf of the family, which Kevin said is a huge relief.
“It's being used for travel/hotel/food expenses for the whole family to come see Bridgette," he said.
“In the future once she comes home there will be some modifications and assistive devices needed in the home.”
A second person, believed to be the shooter, was found deceased at the credit union, the OPP said the day after the incident occurred.
Kevin and Bridgette wrote the following thank you note to everyone who has helped since the incident occurred:
Following the senseless shooting incident that occurred in Wawa on December 12, we would like to express our thanks to the OPP for their assistance, the ambulance crew, the doctors, nurses and staff at Lady Dunn Hospital ER who assisted Bridgette in getting stabilized before being flown out to Sudbury.
We would also like to thank Ornge air ambulance crew for their exceptional duties in getting Bridgette to Sudbury, the three ICU medical teams at Health Sciences North in Sudbury who worked on Bridgette throughout the night, and all other surgeons, nurses, and technicians who still continue to look after her to this day.
We want to thank Bridgette’s employer Northern Credit Union for their generosity, ongoing support, their recent donation to the Lady Dunn Health Centre Foundation, and the extra Christmas presents for our children. It is much appreciated.
We would like to thank Kevin’s employer Alamos Gold for allowing our family to fly from Wawa to Sudbury when needed, along with their generous donation and ongoing support. It is much appreciated.
We would like to thank our best friends Bob/Nina Cliffe and Frank/Cindy Corriveau for setting up the GoFundMe page, ongoing work support and for taking care of my transportation needs to the hospital.
Finally, we would like to thank those in Wawa and surrounding communities who offered their prayers, thoughts, and donations to Bridgette. We are extremely grateful for friends like you in this time of difficulty. We appreciate having you with us at this difficult time in our lives. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the support and comfort you provided. It is very much appreciated by the entire family.
Kevin and Bridgette Hagen