In the first two months following the explosion, when Wes Michalycia was covered in gauze and his mind caught in a coma, he dreamed of his shoes melted to his feet.
Now, 17 surgeries and a number of major operations later – including the removal of a foot and a half from his colon – he sits in his room at the Glenrose rehabilitation hospital in Edmonton and dreams of going home.
Wes and his brother Wilf are survivors of a gas explosion on Feb. 21. They were working on water and plumbing lines at a construction site in Fort Saskatchewan when the fire hit them in the basement of a home.
Wes, 48, suffered 65 per cent burns to his body, causing internal damage to his kidneys and colon. Wilf, 46, suffered 90 per cent burns and lost most of his fingers. Their cousin Jason Michalycia, 33, died of his injuries on Feb. 22.
“When that house exploded I knew what was going to happen. My brother and Jason were trying to get up those stairs but there were no stairs,” Wes recalls. “And I looked around and everything is on fire. I just thought ‘I guess today is not my day’ and I actually laid down because I figured this is it.”
Wes and Wilf were Grandin boys, growing up in St. Albert with their parents, brother and sister before moving to Fort Saskatchewan and Edmonton. Wilf loves golfing and played hockey in St. Albert. Wes has a passion for cars, restoring and trimming them in his spare time.
Pictures of those cars, his family and two dogs now hang on the wall across from his hospital bed. He says he’ll have to sell the cars, not being able to drive a standard anymore.
Nearly five months after the explosion, Wes remains thickly bandaged. Both of his arms are unusable. One hand can move but a bone grew over his elbow and can’t be operated on for at least another year. The nerves in the other arm are so badly damaged that he probably won’t use it again.
He suffers from arthritis in his legs, which are regaining their strength while he learns to walk again. His scalp struggles to recover from the burns but a hairline is visible on the side of his head. The hairs on his face are gone, replaced by new skin where cheeks, forehead and eyelids were burnt away.
“Everything is going but it’s little by little. The big thing for me right now is being able to get my balance, to go walking right,” he says. “Because once I can do that I am pretty much mobile. I can’t feed myself though, which is a pain in the bum.”
They smelled the gas when they first entered the house, he says. The brothers and their cousin went down the stairs into the basement and turned off the leaking hose. Then he remembers hearing Wilf saying ‘oh-oh’, and saw the flame coming at them.
Wes, who stood the furthest away from the explosion, thinks the fire must have thrown them around but he can’t remember it. What he does remember is standing back while his brother and Jason looked for an exit. Then a ladder came down from the level above them.
Wes was the first to climb out of the basement, followed by his brother. Jason was carried out. Wes says he waited until the ambulance was moving then closed his eyes and did not wake up until two months later.
“I was talking to the firefighters. They said they still can’t believe how he got out of there,” recalls his wife Mona. “They are still trying to figure it out. Just the will I think. Just to get out of there.”
Mona Michalycia has been at Wes’ side for months. She visits him every day, feeds him and washes him. Once he is able to go home, she will take care of him full-time. Wes’ disability is covered by Workers Compensation. She took time off work for long-term disability.
Mona says she spent the first two months crying, then got herself together and started planning their future. The house will be renovated to accommodate his wheelchair – should he need it. She also planned a family retreat to a lake with him for the August long weekend that just passed.
Wes has been to visit his parents’ house three times by now. He only saw his brother once. Wilf is still in the University of Alberta hospital, learning to walk again and now able to eat purĂ©ed food. Both brothers lost a lot of weight – Wilf almost 100 pounds and Wes about 70 pounds.
Mona says she used to sneak in chocolate Frosties when Wes could swallow food again (his throat was burnt in the explosion). She is quick to grab a can of pop with a straw if he’s thirsty and carefully kisses him or wipes his eyes.
When Wes seems bitter, she says he’ll be fine. She also cautions him that recovery will take its time but they’ve come a long way.
“I am just happy you are here on this side,” she says, then laughs and says he looks good with his new skin. “They say he looks 10 years younger. It’s just like when the old ladies get a facial.”
Wes’ discharge date is set for Sept. 26. He quickly learned to control his muscles, excels in his exercises and is eager to leave the hospital. Once he is home he wants to beautify his garage – carpet a third of it for a couch and a TV. The other third will be reserved for a nice car to look at.
“The hardest part is being away. Just not seeing everybody,” he says. “I used to work out in camp, 21 days out but then at least I always knew I was going home. But it’s been five months now.”
“Just lying in bed, watching our shows as we always did. Making dinner, listening to the dogs,” adds Mona. “Just having a home.”
A trust fund was established to donate to the Michalycia family following the explosion. Money can be given to account number 605 9306, TD Bank branch 8313. Mona extends their thanks to everyone who donated. The money was split evenly among the three families of Wes, Wilf and Jason.
