As the first anniversary of the car-ramming attack that killed 11 people and injured a dozen more at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver approaches, the mother of one survivor is calling for more financial support for victims and their families.
Jhosie Sico says practically none of the fundraising has directly supported those who were impacted.
Sico says she’s grateful for the outpouring of support from family and friends, but says it only goes so far to help her son AJ, who had to move into a care home after suffering injuries in the attack.
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She says the recovery process has been slow and gruelling for AJ.
“He’s able to say some words,” said Sico.
“He’s able to transfer himself by not using any more mechanical lift. And he’s able to eat by himself now. Because before he was being tube-fed for a long time.”
Sico says AJ has regained some of his mobility, but the process is far from over.
“We want to bring him to the States to get a better medical treatment there, because in here it’s very slow,” she explained.
“Sometimes we don’t have the therapy, but if we can get enough funds, that would be a big help for us. That’s where we’re aiming right now.”
Struggling with speech, AJ has found one kind of therapy that has helped him a lot.
“Singing. He can sing a lot — everything,” said Sico.
“That’s the way he is able to express himself sometimes. That’s a good therapy for him. And he’s doing a lot of therapy for his strength to go back to normal.”
AJ’s turns 31 on June 13, when the family plans to both celebrate him and give thanks for his recovery.
Jhosie’s niece and AJ’s cousin, Jendhel Sico, was one of the 11 people killed at the festival.
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In a letter to United Way BC this week, Mable Elmore, the MLA for Vancouver Kensington, suggested that any funds returned should be disbursed directly by the charity to survivors and victims’ families.
Elmore says the charity, which launched the Kapwa Strong Fund, raised over $2 million, and distributed the money across around 38 organizations, should repatriate any unspent funds.
The suspect in the attack, Adam Kai-Ji Lo, has been charged with 11 counts of second-degree murder and 31 counts of attempted murder, but has yet to face trial.