'Lives are forever changed': Family prepares as injured CFB Wainwright soldier faces long recovery

Kelly Patterson was just finishing dinner when she got the call.

She was taking her youngest out to celebrate a football game where he was named the defensive MVP. The title comes with a green army helmet players keep between games, something Patterson later noted as a “weird” little coincidence.

The very first time he got the helmet, he was eager to send photos to his uncle, Cpl. Sean Hiatt, 24, a reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces, Loyal Edmonton Regiment.

“He idolizes uncle Sean, so that meant a lot,” Patterson said.

The call came from her sister, asking if she had heard from Hiatt or their parents. Something had happened at the military base where he was training for an upcoming deployment to Latvia, and their parents had learned Hiatt was hurt.

Details were sparse at first, but eventually Patterson learned that Hiatt was one of the 39 injured in the devastating brush fire that killed four during a training exercise on Saturday.

Thirty emergency units, including 22 ambulances, six planes and two helicopters, took the injured to hospitals in Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer.

Wednesday Premier Danielle Smith said a dozen of those hospitalized had been discharged, but 13 remained in critical condition.

Hiatt is one of them. He suffered second-degree burns covering roughly half of his body and has been in an ICU at the University of Alberta hospital.

Patterson said he and others have been fighting for their lives.

In a waiting area at the hospital, there were blankets, brown paper bags for food deliveries, big boxes of coffee, and empty bottles of orange juice. Some family members sat. Others paced and took phone calls.

Uniformed soldiers roamed the hospital, and military police were also about.

The first 72 hours were critical, Patterson said, but after days of walking around in a daze, the family is now starting to get their bearings.

“Everybody’s just trying to hold it together,” she said.

Patterson said there are plans to move Hiatt into the OR and take him off heavy sedatives. Tuesday night, while still intubated, he was able to communicate a bit with his brother and nephew.

Hiatt comes from a big family and is the second youngest of 12 siblings, while Patterson is the oldest.

“He’s kind of like one of my own kids, and I’m also his godmother,” Patterson said.

Her two older sons are close in age to Hiatt, and she said they’re close friends. Hiatt used to live with them at their home in St. Albert, and visits whenever he’s in town for military work. Even when he’s away, the boys are always on a call playing video games together.

Patterson said her kids are trying to stay positive. Her daughter, who is also close to Hiatt, mentioned she was struggling.

Her parents are also especially affected.

“She loves her kids to the moon and back,” she said about her mother. “It’s her little boy.”

The couple had been on route to Tofino, B.C., for a “long overdue” vacation when they got the news. From there, it was an expensive flight to Edmonton, and Patterson said they’ve hardly left the hospital since.

Support for the family has since been flooding on to social media, following a few posts from family members. One nurse who treated Hiatt in Wainwright commented on how respectful the young man was, even as she was tending to his burns.

“I lost track of how many times Sean thanked me, no matter if it was a painful IV, medication or cooling burns,” the comment said.

Hiatt’s past warrant officer also reached out, saying he is an “extraordinary young man with a tremendous attitude and work ethic.”

Patterson said the support has been coming from all over Canada and the United States, including from military members like those in the Loyal Edmonton Regiment.

“I’m just blown away by the outpouring of people that want to help and just do something,” she said.

All the positive comments about Hiatt’s character also don’t come as a surprise.

“Everyone Sean ever came in contact with loves him.”

While now organizing a visiting schedule and a long-term plan, the family is also looking toward Hiatt’s future.

Patterson said rehabilitation is going to be long and arduous, both mentally and physically. It will be months in the hospital and multiple surgeries, including skin grafts, followed by physical therapy.

Some things, like plastic surgery, might be covered by health care, and the family has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for treatment and other costs down the line.

Hiatt is unable to work due to his injuries, and as a reservist, he’s on the lower end of the scale for what the military will provide in terms of benefits and care, Patterson said.

As Hiatt and others continue to fight through their injuries, Patterson said there also remains a demand for blood donations, and urged people to get out to donate if they can. She said a family member in Grande Prairie wants to donate, but there isn’t a clinic nearby.

At the same time, questions remain around what led to the incident in the first place.

“There’s no reason that it should have ever happened,” Patterson said.

Still, she said the focus should stay on the soldiers who need support in their recovery.

“Whatever happened, there should be consequences. But at the same time, it doesn’t change the fact that their lives are forever changed.”

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