A Kamloops man going on vacation for the first time in eight years.
Sue Simpson said she’s been able to collect the funds to take her son Jessie to Cold Water Ranch, an accessible lodge near Merritt, to celebrate his 27th birthday.
Simpson’s son Jesse was walking back to a friend’s home after drinking at a graduation party in Kamloops on June 19, 2016. The then-teenager stumbled into the backyard of Kristopher Teichrieb, who attacked Jessie with a metal baseball bat.
Teichrieb pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to seven years in prison. However, Crown Counsel and defence lawyer Jordan Watt pitched a joint submission of seven years in prison in exchange for Teichrieb’s guilty plea. Once he’s given credit for time served — calculated at 1.5 days for every day served in pre-trial custody — Teichrieb only served about 44 months of new time in federal custody.
Teichrieb was also ordered to pay nearly $7 million in damages to the Simpson family. In an avoidance of paying, the attacker sold his house to his parents for $1 in an attempt to hide assets. The allegations were proven in court and the house was awarded to Simpson.
READ MORE: Kamloops man to pay $7M to victim after life-altering attack
READ MORE: Kamloops baseball bat attacker ordered to sell home to pay victim
As for Jessie, he spent months in a coma and was not expected to wake up, yet in early 2017 after brain surgery things changed and Jessie opened his eyes.
The young man was never expected to eat on his own or participate in conversation, after the incident. Simpson calls her son a miracle as he improves every single day.
Simpson said the whole family will be attending the momentous event for four days on the ranch.
“We’re going to take a cab,” Simpson said. “It’s $700 for us to go there and back, and it’ll be our first vacation since Jessie was hurt… They have a theatre room. Jessie will be able to sit in a soaker tub and look over the entire ranch while he has a nice bath. We can barbecue there.”
Although they are excited to get away for a few days, Simpson knows she will have to return her son to his care home where he lives full-time. To help pass the time in the facility mostly filled with seniors, Simpson requests cards for Jessie every year around his birthday. Each year they see hundreds of cards delivered.
“Jessie sits in the nursing home and he has nothing to do. It makes his day,” Simpson said he loves hearing who all the cards are from. “It cheers him up.”
For years Simpson has been requesting cards at Christmas and for Jessie’s birthday on July 26. In a 2020 interview with Black Press Simpson said, “When you can’t walk, you’re in a wheelchair in full care, wearing diapers, it’s hard. And to bring any kind of cheer to him, even if it’s just words on paper from people who love him, that will make the difference.”
With Jessie’s progress over the years, Simpson knows it has made a difference.
Birthday wishes can be mailed to: Jessie Simpson PO BOX 233 Savona B.C. V0K 2J0.
Despite having the GoFundMe for Jessie listing an amount more than $89,000, Simpson said that is the total dollar amount that has been collected since she launched the fundraiser in November 2018. The funds have been used to renovate her home to be accessible for Jessie, purchase and maintain a wheelchair van, necessities for Jessie that haven’t been covered, travel expenses to visit him in the care home, and continuing to fight in court for the $6.9 million Teichrieb was ordered to pay Jessie.
Simpson continues to ask for donations to support her in giving her son the best life possible.
READ MORE: Kamloops baseball bat attack victim starts to remember over 7 years later