Ron Lister may have been found after going missing in early February but he has a long road to recovery to walk.
Lister was reported missing on Monday, Feb. 3 as freezing conditions gripped the South Cariboo. While he was found by South Cariboo Search and Rescue before nightfall near No-Name-Lake, injuries he sustained during his ordeal, including frostbite in his fingers, will require time in the hospital to heal. That's why his boss and friend Melissa Schneider, the manager of Tasco Supplies Ltd, is raising money to help support him during his time away.
"He's an easy-going guy, easy to get along with. We have a healthy coworker relationship and I always explain to the guys and girls who start at Tasco that we're a big family. We spend more hours during the week together than with our own families and we try to be supportive of each other," Schneider explained. "Ron has been a huge part of the community and everything he has done has been incredible. People come in (to Tasco) just to see him and say 'hi'. He's got a really big heart and he's still working at 74.
"He still has bills to pay and his hospital stay, we don't know how long it's going to be. It looks like it's going to be some time and I started the GoFundMe to help him and his family out because it's such a big burden financially, let alone the stress of the whole situation."
It was Schneider who first noticed something was amiss when Lister didn't show up to work on Monday. Schneider said Lister is an old-school hard worker and in the seven years she's known him he has always shown up at least a half hour before he's scheduled to start work. When he didn't show up for his 8 a.m. shift she said alarm bells started to ring.
Schneider tried giving him a call and when he didn't pick up headed out to his home in Forest Grove to check on him, as he is single and lives on his own. Finding no evidence of him she contacted the 100 Mile House RCMP and his children to report he was missing.
"Everything just took off from there," Schneider said. "(When he was found) I was relieved and obviously very happy he was alive considering how cold it was out."
When Lister was found, however, both 100 Mile House RCMP and SCSAR members noted he seemed confused and was hypothermic. After being rushed to hospital the full extent of his injuries became more clear.
Lister's children have told Schneider what they believe happened is that sometime late Saturday or early Sunday, Lister hit his head. This injury led to a brain bleed which explains his confusion and how he ended up near No-Name Lake. During his time out in the elements he also suffered from frostbite in his fingers.
"His injuries, it's hard to tell what's really going to happen. He has some frostbite on his hands and it's going to take a very long time for that to heal," Schneider said, noting she doesn't know exactly how long he was out there but that loggers did assist him on Monday around 2 a.m. Lister was later found over 12 hours later.
Lister is currently in Kamloops receiving treatment, though plans are in place to move him to Kelowna General Hospital where his daughter works so she can help look after him.
Schneider said the GoFundMe she has set up is titled Ron Lister's road to recovery and has a goal of $10,000. As of the publication of this article, she has already raised over$5,000. When asked if she plans to keep the fundraiser going after she reaches that, Schneider confirmed she would.
"He still has a mortgage and obviously bills to pay. We all know that if you miss a little bit of work it affects you but if you miss a lot of work... I would just hate to see him come out of such a devastating thing and be so far behind," Schneider said. "I don't want to be greedy but at the end of the day if we do reach our goal I would like to continue it."
Because she knows some people aren't comfortable using GoFundMe Schneider said she has also set up a donation envelope at Tasco to accept cash donations. She noted she is also able to receive any gifts, cards or well wishes packages for Lister which she will then forward to his family.
Schneider said she along with Lister's children would like to thank everyone who was involved in finding him including the RCMP, SCSAR and members of the public. She'd also like to thank everyone who has donated to the GoFundMe or the fund at Tasco to help him recover.
"Ron has always been a huge part of this community. He has always been pushing for fundraisers for the Lions Club or the fire department," Schneider said. "The amount of time he has given to anybody who has needed it is incredible. I think as a community it would be really nice if we could help him and give back to him in his time of need."
