Brandi Morin
APTN National News
It’s been a year and a half since Edmonton rap artist Shawn Bernard’s life came to a sudden halt leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.
On the way to a motivational speaking event and performance at an Alberta First Nation in February 2014, Bernard made a stop in West Edmonton.
While giving a ride to some friends who were intoxicated, he was stabbed in the neck.
After fighting for his life was told he would never walk again.
Bernard, 42, is no stranger to adversity.
He grew up in the inner city experiencing poverty, family dysfunction and was on the streets and in and out of jail by the time he was a teenager.
Then into his adult years he became heavily involved with gangs and lived a life of crime and violence.
But he turned his life around in his 30’s and established a music career, and in the end, a real-life, hard-core gangster, became a role model for youth across Indian country.
He travelled the prairies sharing his music and encouraging young Indigenous people to stay away from the rough life and to follow their dreams.
Since the stabbing, however, Bernard has been working to stay true to his convictions despite his grim circumstances.
He’s been living at a treatment center in Edmonton, a facility that is able to meet his medical needs.
The Metis Housing Association provided a wheelchair accessible home for him and his family to rent but the family is waiting to purchase a special bed for Bernard to take home.
His wife Shelley Mooswa, and their combined six children, have faithfully stood by his side and are counting down the days until he can come home.
“I’m feeling positive,” said Mooswa. “I feel like he’s going to walk again. It’s just taking a long time.”
Mooswa and the kids visit Shawn daily and take him home almost every day for a few hours and the family is trying to re-establish a normal family routine.
Bernard has mostly stayed optimistic while learning to adjust to living life as a quadriplegic, however lately he’s been feeling more anxious than usual.
“I’ve been feeling restless,” said Bernard. “Claustrophobic, getting anxiety. It’s driving me nuts that I can’t get up and walk. All I can do is watch TV.”
The family was able to attend the local fair and has gone to nearby pow wows which, for Bernard, has helped to lessen the burden of the restraints of being paralyzed.
Recently a new endeavour came about that the family is hoping will give Bernard his legs back.
While researching treatment options for spinal cord injuries online, Mooswa came across the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama that looked promising.
They applied for Bernard to be considered a candidate for treatment and he was accepted.
But it costs $32,000 for four weeks of treatment and doesn’t include travel and accommodation costs.
“That’s our only hope so far,” said Bernard.
A few days ago the family set up a GOFUNDME page.
According to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, stem cell research has the potential to provide treatments for a host of debilitating diseases, but at the same time raises ethical and social issues and legal concerns of interest to Canadians.
Stem cells are derived from human embryo’s but can also be harvested from adults and children. The stem cells act like a repair system, dividing regularly to provide new specialized cells to take the place of those that have died or have been lost.
Bernard is willing to try anything even if the treatment doesn’t come with any guarantees.
“It’s tough but we have faith in the creator. Afterward you have to follow up with a lot of work, it doesn’t happen overnight. I don’t know what to do after the stem cell treatment, except to hope,” said Bernard.
He said he’s been having regular dreams of walking again, powerful dreams with drummers and dancers in the distance. Many of his friends also, have been having dreams. And it’s the dreams, hopes and prayers of those around him that will continue to help him on the uncertain journey ahead.
