A casual Sunday evening walk turned into tragedy when a driver struck two pedestrians along the side of the road near Fort Kent on March 29. The two women are now healing, but for one, the road to physical recovery will be a long one.
While one of the women was released from hospital shortly after the incident, her friend, Jodi Cardinal, 32, was airlifted to Edmonton, where she was treated for with numerous injuries.
According to an RCMP media release, a 44-year-old man from Bonnyville was arrested and charged for impaired driving, following the incident.
Despite the severity of those injuries, Jodi, who mostly grew up in St. Paul, continues to have a positive attitude, according to her mom, Leona Makokis.
“Her spirits are really, really high,” says Makokis. She says initially, when her daughter was brought to Bonnyville hospital following the incident, they believed she had broken her legs, her pelvis and her back. When she arrived in Edmonton, it was determined that although her legs weren’t broken, Jodi did have injuries to two of her vertebrae, a broken hip, damage to one of her kidneys, three broken ribs, wounds on her head, and some memory loss.
After two weeks in hospital, Jodi continues to let her body heal. This past weekend, she was transferred to Bonnyville Hospital, which brings her closer to her two young sons, five-year-old Spencer and three-year-old Reyes.
Since the incident, Makokis says she has been amazed at how much the community has supported the family. Friends have offered to help watch the boys, which is a huge relief, since Makokis has had to take time off work as a professor at Blue Quills College to help support her daughter too. Jodi’s husband, Brent, continues to work, but he has also been at his wife’s side as much as possible.
“I couldn’t believe the amount of prayers and ceremonies taking place specifically for (Jodi),” says Makokis, as she describes the support the family has received. People from other countries have been praying for Jodi’s recovery, and she has also received a lot of visitors while in the hospital, including the friend that was with her when the incident happened.
“People are kind. People are loving. You don’t realize that until you’re in a situation like that,” says Makokis, adding she’s happy to see her daughter continue to be optimistic.
“She’s very positive . . . to heal, you have to be positive and be in a good space.”
Although what happened to her daughter has been devastating, Makokis says there is a silver lining, and that is “the beauty of people.”
“I just realized the power of community in a situation like this,” says Makokis.
As a way to show support, a number of friends and family have come together to organize a fundraiser jamboree for the Cardinal family. The event is set to take place on May 23 at the Beaver River Fish and Game Association building in Bonnyville.
The group is now collecting silent auction items and will be selling tickets for the event, starting this week in St. Paul and Bonnyville.
Tickets are $30 each for the dinner and dance, $20 for the dance, or $200 for a table of eight for the dinner and dance. A Facebook page called “Benefit to support Jodi Cardinal (Dion),” has been set up to keep people updated on the event.
To get involved in the fundraiser and make a donation, contact 780-646-0711 or 780-573-0063. The coordinating fundraising group for the event includes “many friends and family,” says Terri Suntjens, one of the organizers.
Richard Normand was in court on April 7 to face charges related to a March 29 incident in which a vehicle struck two women walking along a road near Fort Kent.
Normand, a 44-year-old resident of Bonnyville, appeared in a Bonnyville courtroom via live TV stream from a remand centre to face six charges, including impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm and dangerous driving of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm.
Bail of $4,000 was set for Normand with a series of conditions should he reach it. These conditions include: keeping the peace, not being behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, not taking any non-medically prescribed drugs such as alcohol, and not being present in any stores which sell alcohol. He is also prohibited from having any direct or indirect contact with the two victims.
Normand is scheduled to be back in court on May 19.
