He’s happy, curious, and a fighter.
Jessie Simpson from Kamloops had his whole life change 10 years ago.
A walk home from a party to celebrate high school graduation in the early hours of June 19, 2016 saw the young man attacked by Kristopher Tiechrieb after cutting through the the property owner’s backyard.
Teichrieb used a metal baseball bat to beat the then 18-year-old, sending Simpson into a coma doctors weren’t sure he would ever wake up from. Teichrieb pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in 2018 and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment less time served.
Simpson’s mom, Sue Simpson, told Black Press that in the hours after the attack the surgeon called her.
“He didn’t think he was going to make it through a few minutes, never-mind 10 years,” said Sue, adding it was the worst night ever. “He put the phone to Jessie’s ear and I just kept saying, ‘stay strong’.”
Sue said the 11 months her son was in a coma was one of life’s most difficult times.
“I was shown scans of Jessie’s brain and they were black on both sides,” Sue stated. “Meaning his hearing was affected, his eyesights, his speech, his everything.”
Eventually Simpson woke up, but doctors warned Sue that her son would have limited functions and required full-time care. Simpson was moved into a long-term care facility where he still lives today.
In 2021, Teichrieb was granted statutory release. That same year, Sue won a civil suit against her son’s attacker after proving in court Teichrieb had sold his Kamloops home to his parents for $1 to hide assets in anticipation of a lawsuit. Despite Teichrieb being ordered to pay $6.9-million, the Simpson’s haven’t received any of the money.
Sue launched a GoFundMe after the attack. She has used the funds to better Simpson’s quality of life, including outfitting her home with a ramp, hospital bed and lift so Simpson can come home on weekends in the summer.
“It was very hard seeing the part of Jessie that I lost in pictures in the past, but gaining… Jessie is so amazing… He always says ‘cold hands, warm heart’.”
Despite all the challenges, including frequent hospital visits for pneumonia, kidney stones, and surgeries over the past 10 years, Simpson loves to listen to music, go out for dinner, hang out with his mom, have friends over to visit, and flirt with the ladies.
“He wants to fight. He wants to be with us.”
Sue added that every birthday her son celebrates is a blessing. Simpson will turn 29 on July 26 and, like she has for the past five years, Sue is putting out a call for birthday cards to help celebrate.
“We look forward to the moments of happiness for sure,” Sue said she plans to bring Simpson home to Savona for his birthday and invite some of his friends for a barbecue.
“This is a lifelong situation,” Sue said. “It’s not going away tomorrow, this is the rest of our lives. We so appreciate the community and the support and the cards and the love. Thank you.”
E-cards can be sent to suesimpson97@gmail.com or mail a card to:
Jessie Simpson
P.O. Box 233
Savona, B.C. V0K 2J0