{"id":9017,"date":"2026-08-12T09:42:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T13:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/?post_type=testimonial&p=9017"},"modified":"2026-08-12T10:58:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T14:58:38","slug":"electrical-accident-felix","status":"publish","type":"testimonial","link":"https:\/\/fondationduchum.com\/en\/why-give\/your-testimonials\/electrical-accident-felix\/","title":{"rendered":"“I saw myself on fire”: F\u00e9lix’s long road to recovery after a devastating electrical accident"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An ordinary day that changed everything<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For F\u00e9lix, trimming a cedar hedge was nothing out of the ordinary. Something he had done a hundred times before. So he didn’t hesitate to lend his father a hand on the morning of August 8, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a perfect summer day. Hot and humid, with a light haze lingering over the neighbourhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

F\u00e9lix was standing on an aluminum ladder, the job almost done, when his life was forever changed in a split second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I fell off the ladder. I couldn’t hear anything. I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t understand what was happening. Then I looked up… and I saw myself on fire.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

F\u00e9lix was trapped in the branches, unable to move his legs, so he called for help. His father rushed to free him and several neighbours also came to his aid while they waited for first responders to arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one understood what had happened. It was only several days later that F\u00e9lix learned he had fallen victim to an electrical arc\u2014a phenomenon that can occur when humidity allows electricity to travel beyond a power line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An entire team to give him strength<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"F\u00e9lix<\/figure>
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After being treated at Pierre-Le Gardeur Hospital in Terrebonne, the medical team quickly determined that F\u00e9lix required more highly specialized care. That\u2019s when he was transferred to the CHUM<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He remembers arriving at the hospital, but when F\u00e9lix next opened his eyes, four days had passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors told him that his electrical accident had caused third-degree burns over 38% of his body. Three of his toes had to be amputated, and several other procedures, including fasciotomies and skin grafts, would be required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“When I realized my body would never be the same again, it was incredibly difficult. When they changed my dressings, I could barely look at myself in the mirror.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The first few days were especially challenging. Hallucinations caused by the medically induced coma kept him from sleeping, to the point that F\u00e9lix feared falling asleep. It wasn’t until he asked his father to stay with him overnight that he finally began to feel more at ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the pain, F\u00e9lix committed fully to his recovery. Just two weeks after arriving at the CHUM, he was walking again on his own\u2014something he never imagined would happen so quickly. After one month in hospital, he was able to return home and begin rehabilitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, F\u00e9lix remembers the care he received, but also the people who provided it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“The nurses were so compassionate. Whenever I asked for something, I could tell they genuinely wanted to help. I also remember one of the night nurses\u2014we had some really meaningful conversations.” <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That human connection, combined with the expertise of an entire interdisciplinary care team, helped him move forward one day at a time.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A family that faced the journey together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Today, F\u00e9lix feels immense gratitude towards the CHUM teams and is acutely aware of the difficult journey his own family faced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His father, who witnessed his son engulfed in flames, carried an overwhelming sense of guilt for a long time. Moments before the electrical accident, he had offered to finish trimming the hedge himself, but F\u00e9lix had declined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For months afterward, his father replayed that moment over and over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His mother, meanwhile, chose to remain positive throughout the ordeal. She became F\u00e9lix’s greatest source of strength, inspiring him to keep moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His brother and sister visited almost every day, sometimes even in the middle of the night. Friends came to see him without fail. Even some of his co-workers made the trip to visit him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I was never alone. Seeing so many people around me gave me incredible strength.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>

\"F\u00e9lix<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Rebuilding his life, one step at a time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"F\u00e9lix<\/figure>
\n

This past May, F\u00e9lix completed the five-kilometre Laval Firefighters’ Run, surrounded by the people who supported him throughout his recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“For me, it was important to run. Not because I wanted to go a long distance. Just because I wanted to be able to be there.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As he crossed the finish line, F\u00e9lix reflected on the journey he has taken since his electrical accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that summer day when he thought he would never feel his legs again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On every person who helped him along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“It felt like turning the page to a new chapter.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Today, F\u00e9lix continues his rehabilitation with the same determination that has guided him since day one\u2014and he now looks to the future with confidence.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Vous souhaitez, vous aussi, partager votre parcours ou votre exp\u00e9rience au CHUM?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Remplir le formulaire<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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