A 21-year-old Campbell River father who was stabbed twice in the chest when he went to answer cries for help has been released from Victoria hospital after open-heart surgery, 10 days after the stabbing.
Colin Dube-Wheat was walking home in the early hours of July 14 in Campbell River when he heard someone yelling for help, his cousin Jen Fyfe said on an online fundraising site.
When he walked to where the yells were coming from, Fyfe said, someone who was beside an unconscious person stabbed Dube-Wheat in the chest twice, puncturing his lung and heart.
She said her cousin recalls lying for a period of time alone, until first-responders attended to him and had him airlifted to Victoria.
Fyfe said a trauma team at Victoria General Hospital performed open-heart surgery and repaired damage to his heart and lungs. He was released from hospital on Sunday — 10 days after the stabbing — and is now in the early days of what will be a long recovery, she said.
“The family of Colin are thankful to the first responders and medical teams in both Campbell River and Victoria for saving his life.”
The GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $15,000 by Monday.
Dube-Wheat lives in Campbell River with his fiancé, Sarah, and their two-year-old daughter, Ava. They both had worked full-time, trading off to care for their toddler.
The couple have already faced tragedy in the past year with the death of Colin’s younger brother, Jordie Dube, and recently losing many personal items and their dog in a house fire at his father’s place in Gold River.
Fyfe said both have to take considerable time off of work. She said Dube-Wheat is unable to work or provide childcare for about three months due to his injuries and rehabilitation.
Medical employment insurance “will only cover so much,” Fyfe said, so the young family needs extra assistance to manage over the next few months.
Campbell River RCMP said its major crimes unit is investigating the incident.
Anyone with information can contact Campbell River RCMP at 250-286-6221 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
The online fundraising campaign is at gofundme.com/f/21yr-old-father-stabbed-downtown-campbell-river
