IQALUIT
On his first day of a Cuban vacation in December, Iqaluit's Napu Boychuk was caught in a strong undertow current at Varadero Beach and suffered a serious spinal cord injury.

Napu Boychuk is recovering from a devastating first day in Cuba that saw him nearly drown and have to be resuscitated. Behind him stands Tuutalik Boychuk, his sister, who along with their father Dan, is supporting him during this trying time. - photos courtesy of Tuutalik Boychuk

Napu is a dancer and brother of Tuutalik Boychuk, who lives in Iqaluit.

Napu was sent to a hospital in Havana to be treated by the intensive care unit.

"Within 48 hours, he had a surgical implant to align vertebraes five and six," wrote Tuutalik and father Dan Boychuk to Facebook on Jan. 3.

"The operation went extremely well but Napu has not recovered use of his legs or arms and remains in ICU on a ventilator as of this day."

During the Dec. 13 incident at the beach, Napu had to be resuscitated and nearly drowned, which left sea water and sand in his lungs and stomach.

"Napu is doing better every day and is slowly gaining movement and feelings in his arms while his lungs are rehabilitated," stated Dan.

News of the incident spawned a massive community outpouring of support in Iqaluit. Community members set up ways to donate to help cover the medical costs. With dance so important to Napu, and Tuutalik being a member of Iqaluit's dance community, it was only fitting that Christine Lamothe of Saimavik Studio helped organize a fundraiser event for Jan. 16.

A suggestion to meet and brainstorm at her studio drew a large group of concerned citizens hoping to help, she said. The group quickly set up committees to handle different aspects of the fundraiser event.

"This is when you're reminded of the beauty of living here," said Lamothe. "We are a community, not just a dance community - people really care for each other here. This is a tragic event that I think everybody can relate to. We all have someone we love and we would all hate for this situation to happen to someone we love."

She enjoyed seeing skills come out of people she had known long before but never knew the extent of their abilities at the meetings.

"If businesses ran this way we'd have so much more stuff going on in our community and in our whole territory," said Lamothe.

Lamothe said she didn't know Napu personally but knows Tuutalik a little bit from dance.

"I know that she absolutely adores her brother," she said. "She's very protective of him, will do anything for him. That's what I've felt."

On Jan. 10, Tuutalik wrote that the doctor was weaning Napu off the ventilator and he is continuing to progress.

"When his throat was completely free of any tube, he was able to say something and he chose to say, 'I love you,'" wrote Tuutalik to Facebook.

"He is getting popular in the hospital here because he remains so positive and optimistic. He continues to try to make me laugh by cracking jokes with me."

Napu is in his final year of the fine arts program at Ryerson University in Toronto.

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