I know this is going to be posted under news but since I am here and I know a lot of people are wondering, so I figured I would post it. I have been with Marc for the last 4 days and although his condition has not changed, his spirts continue to improve but we have a long way to go. His family appriciates all your support.
For Immediate Release 10 April 2006
MARC-ANDRE BELLIVEAU PARALYZED IN SKI ACCIDENT
Vancouver, B.C. -- Marc-Andre Belliveau suffered a tragic accident on Monday, April 3, while skiing in the British Columbia interior, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. StandStrongAgain.org has established a fund for all friends, fans and fellow skiers to help support Marc pay medical expenses and rebuild his life. Visit www.StandStrongAgain.org for details on how to donate.
Visibility was poor on the day of the accident, and Marc lost his line in a technical area. He attempted to find his route down, but instead hit rocks that sent him tumbling into bigger, jagged rocks. Marc lost feeling in his legs immediately. After he was flown to the hospital, doctors discovered that he fractured his spine and permanently damaged his spinal cord.
Marc will remain in the Vancouver General Hospital until he can be transported home to Quebec, possibly in three to four weeks. Still less than a week after his accident, Marc is currently suffering severe pain and mental anguish, but staying positive by visiting with friends, listening to music, and dedicating himself to his rehabilitation.
“Marc-Andre is still himself, joking with his visitors and nurses, and singing songs,” said his sister, Rachel. “But there is a very long road ahead of him with a new reality we need to prepare for.”
Marc-Andre has brought passion, progression and panache to the ski industry over the past seven years. He made a grand entry into the scene in 1999 when he took third place at the U.S. Freeskiing Open Slopestyle Competition, which sparked a sponsorship with Volkl skis. Volkl gave him a travel budget, which allowed Marc to compete in New Zealand. There he met Steve Rozendaal, who invited him to film with Volume Video Magazine in Utah.
“I could see the passion in Marc from the start,” said Rozendaal. “He was willing to make it happen in any conditions and loved every second of it.”
While in Utah, Marc fell in love with backcountry skiing and even found a way to burn through three snowmobiles in as many years during his quest for easy-access to fresh powder. He produced mind-blowing segments in Teton Gravity Research films for six years and traveled across Europe, including places like Bulgaria and Turkey, as well as to Chile and Alaska. He was considered one of the best all-around skiers in the world.
Life after 26 will be vastly different for Marc. He will need all the support of family, friends and the industry that he contributed so much to. Marc and his family appreciate any help you can give.
Stand Strong Again was formed in 2005, shortly after Professional Freeskier Lars Veen from Norway, suffered a crash that left him without feeling or function below his chest. Lars was 18 years old at the time. Our mission is raise money from the action sports community to fund quality of life initiatives for people with spinal cord injuries, particularly those who suffered injuries as a result of action sports, and to fund spinal cord injury research that will lead to a cure. These funds will help those who have suffered spinal cord injuries better adjust to their life after their injury as well as provide support to research on spinal cord injuries so that in a time of question, we will have answers.
The family requests that letters be sent to Marc in lieu of phone calls.
Vancouver General Hospital
c/o Marc-Andre Belliveau
855 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9
CANADA
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