In the summer of 2007, Tom Los was enjoying an afternoon boating with friends on the Grand River near Cayuga when he fell from the front of the boat. As the boat drove over him, Tom was struck by the motor, sustaining devastating injuries as the propeller ripped through his flesh.
“I was in really bad shape,” explains Tom. “I had multiple compound fractures to both legs and was bleeding out due to numerous lacerations to by arms, legs and face,”
Minutes after being pulled from the water, emergency crews arrived on the scene and desperately tried to stem the massive amount of blood Tom was losing. In critical condition and clinging to life, Tom was airlifted to Hamilton General Hospital, the regional trauma centre for south-central Ontario.
By the time he reached the Hospital, where the trauma team was standing by, Tom had lost half of the blood from his body. Surgeons worked quickly to repair Tom’s wounds and stop the bleeding. In an effort to stabilize his condition, doctors put Tom into a coma to minimize the stress on his body.
Tom spent two days unconscious in the Intensive Care Unit where doctors monitored his condition around the clock. Miraculously, Tom made it through those first 48 hours, but would require eight surgeries, including limb reconstruction, plastic surgery, nerve repair and skin grafts, before being discharged from the hospital.
"Hamilton General Hospital and the people who work there are amazing. They put me back together and because of them, I'm here, and living my life to the fullest."
Since the accident, Tom has made a near full recovery and continues to return to The General on an outpatient basis for follow-up care and rehabilitation. Tom and best friend Nicky have also gotten married and will soon be returning to his job as a pipe fitter following surgery to remove hardware from his leg.
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