When Richmond resident Julia Kwan was running errands in 2024, she never imagined it would result in a life-altering accident. After being struck by a dump truck as a pedestrian crossing the street, Julia was rushed to Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), where highly specialized teams across Emergency, Trauma, Surgery, and the Intensive Care Unit worked around the clock to save her life.
Julia is sharing her story in support of VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation and the VGH+ Hometown Heroes Lottery.
Across the street from the incident was a Richmond firehall, which enabled firefighters to get to Julia’s side instantly, supporting her until paramedics took her to VGH. Julia was immediately under the care of dedicated medical professionals including Dr. Philip Dawe, the first doctor to see Julia when she arrived at VGH.
Julia sustained multiple, life-threatening injuries, including a significant degloving of her left leg and trunk, a fractured pelvis, fractured foot, fractured wrist, broken ribs, ruptured spleen, and a bruised kidney. These injuries resulted in a near-death experience, eight surgeries, nine weeks of hospitalization including six nights in ICU, and a long and uncertain recovery both mentally and physically.
Today, in a milestone that once felt impossible, Julia is walking again, a testament to her incredible resilience and the world-class care she received at VGH.
Now back to the simple joys of life, she spends her time with her husband and four-year-old son. As a form of therapy, she has even started a creative project called “dumptruck goods,” that she shares via social media, designing illustrations for mugs and totes to find humour and purpose in her recovery.
Julia expresses deep gratitude for the extraordinary efforts of the firefighters who were first on the scene, the paramedics that rushed her to VGH, and the dedicated medical teams who cared for her at every stage.
VGH is one of only two Level 1 adult trauma centres in BC, caring for approximately 60% of the province’s adult trauma cases, including Julia and others with similar experiences.
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