CALGARY -- A Calgary man left paralyzed in a shooting during a home invasion while on vacation in Barbados underwent a successful surgery Wednesday to remove a blood clot from his lungs.
Ken Elliot was on vacation with his wife, Linda, brother Rob and sister-in-law Mary when two men — one armed with a machete and another with a handgun — stormed inside the home they were renting.
Ken and Rob struggled with the intruders and Ken was shot in the shoulder.
The bullet went through his lung and severed his spine between the third and fourth vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the clavicle down. He does have some movement in his arms, however.
Ken was rushed to hospital in Barbados then flown to a medical centre in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“The surgery went well and he’s in recovery,” said Michelle Tait, Elliott’s stepdaughter, who is in Fort Lauderdale.
Rob and Mary remain in Barbados and are in contact with local authorities there. As of Wednesday afternoon, no arrests had been made.
“Beyond the physical trauma that Ken is going to deal with is the emotional trauma that my mom, Ken’s brother and sister-in-law are going to deal with forever," said Tait.
"I think that’s one of our biggest fears, how are we going to help them get beyond what they saw, what they experienced."
Ken had retired a little more than a year ago after a 36-year career with the City of Calgary, as a heavy duty mechanic and then a foreman.
A GoFundMe account set up to help the couple with medical bills and associated costs has raised more than $17,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.
Tait says her mother and step-father are "overwhelmed" by the support they have received.
