OTTAWA -- Justin Birch’s story is one of grit and gratitude after a horrific farming accident. The 30-year-old lost part of his right arm below the elbow when it got caught in a piece of equipment on his farm in Cumberland in September.
“Went up top to grease some of the gears and I just took a wrong step,” Birch recalls. “Lost my balance and fell basically hands first into the belts that were moving.”
Despite the pain, Birch was able to call for help with his other hand.
“Adrenaline peaked and that’s when I knew I had to do something so I grabbed my phone out of my left pocket, calling neighbours.”
A nearby neighbour rushed over to turn the baler off and by then Birch had also called 911.
Firefighters from the station Birch has volunteered with for a decade were among the first responders. He was rushed to the civic campus of the Ottawa Hospital.
“They said we got a 50/50 chance of saving your arm. I said ‘alright’. Came out of that [surgery] and no arm there. The guy said we couldn’t reattach it we got two options for ya.”
Birch chose to keep what was left below the elbow. He underwent nine surgeries in 16 days.
“I remember [the doctor] saying ‘I hate to do this to you man I know you’ve been through a lot’ and we just kind of laughed and I said ‘well what’s one more, we’ve already done nine might as well make it an even 10.’”
He spent just over three consecutive weeks in hospital. His grit—undeniable.
“They told me ‘ya your hemoglobin levels are dropping considerably, you’re gonna need a blood transfusion.’ I said ‘no give me a day, I’ll get it back up.’ Melissa’s mom made me a meal that had to be 110 per cent iron and I ate the whole thing and they came in the next day and he’s like good news your levels are up.”
While Birch was in the hospital, family, friends and the community stepped up—from helping with farm and house chores to meals.
“Friends, family they showed up dozens of them to help bale hay, put hay away, the fire department stepped up big time to build us a car port," Birch says. "Didn’t even realize it would be hard to shovel snow off a car with one hand."
A GoFundMe page has raised more than $114,000.
“That blowing up was unbelievable,” Birch says. “Even though people are in hard times they’re still willing to help out.”
Birch is now back at the farm and is adjusting to a new way of doing things like pushing hay.
“I tuck my fork under my armpit and then I just use my left hand and kind of just sway back and forth,” Birch says.
While the journey has been a slow and painful one, Birch is focused on the future, which includes a prosthetic.
“I said I’ve got to go back to work at the city, I’m a heavy equipment operator and I’m a farmer at home so I need something that’s going to be durable and practical.”
Once the pandemic is over, he plans to marry his now-fiancé Melissa Leduc.
“We would have never made it through without the support of our community and our family and friends,” Leduc says. “Definitely hard times but we got through it and now it’s on the upward.”
Birch shares that sentiment—focused on what he’s gained, not lost.
“Keep challenging yourself, make a goal every day,” Birch says. “Support was key, family, friends, businesses even just people dropping off meals, I’m a terrible cook so the meals were great, and then the doctors and nurses who never gave up on me…couldn’t thank them enough.”
