In a distressing incident, Paolo Fongemie, a former mayor of Bathurst, New Brunswick, and well-versed in both municipal and educational administration, has been compelled to face an unforeseen personal challenge. He is currently on a journey to relearn walking post an extensive surgical procedure to excise a malignant spinal tumor.
Fongemie disclosed his ordeal from the Moncton Hospital, his recuperation site since January 21, expressing gratitude for being able to foresee returning home, a sentiment not shared by all patients in his ward. Recognized for his leadership in Belle-Baie municipality as well as the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, Fongemie’s past experiences proved insufficient preparation for his current health battle.
This battle commenced unexpectedly while Fongemie was vacationing in Cuba. Assuming he had sustained a back injury lifting luggage, his condition worsened on January 6 as he traveled from Quebec City to Bathurst. Overcome with excruciating pain, Fongemie and his wife halted in Edmundston, where he was hospitalized and diagnosed with a spinal tumor.
Fongemie’s predicament intensified when, two weeks into his hospitalization, an accidental movement fractured a vertebra and compressed his spinal cord, causing near-intolerable pain and prompting an emergency transfer to Moncton Hospital’s neurology department.
Source: CBC.ca