Jay McCue had no idea about the party in store for him at the Downstream Bar last weekend. The former Jasper resident was back in town to celebrate his thirtieth birthday, and his friends threw him a surprise party. More than that, the event was also a fundraiser for an expensive and ground-breaking medical procedure that McCue is scheduled to undergo in less than a year.

Two years ago, McCue suffered a broken neck in a mountain biking accident. Unable to use his legs, and with limited movement and function in his arms, McCue had to leave Jasper, where he had lived for seven years.

“I would have loved to come back and stay, but the housing situation didn’t work,” he said. Now living in Calgary and taking courses in web design, McCue returns as often as he can, and from the packed house on Saturday night, it’s clear that Jasperites haven’t forgotten him.

That’s a good thing, because McCue needs support wherever he can find it these days. After ten months of applying and making phone calls, McCue got the word late last month that he had been approved for a January 2007 surgery at the Xishan hospital in Beijing, China.

The procedure involves injecting millions of human olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) above and below the spinal cord injury. The process, called neuro-regeneration, is intended to repair some of the damage and should allow the patient to regain some capabilities and movement.

“The thing with spinal cord injuries is that every one is different,” said McCue. “Every recovery will be different, too.” 

McCue has been reading and researching about this kind of medicine since he first heard of it last spring.

“A buddy came to visit and he had seen an article in Men’s Health magazine about this, so I picked it up and started researching as much as I could.” 

With that information, McCue has a simple expectation for what the surgery will mean for him.

“My goal is just to gain way more independence,” he said. “They can’t really say, come to the miracle place, and guarantee anything. But you can improve your sensory and motor skills.”

The procedure costs $25,000 US and McCue and his girlfriend, Kristie Hall, are hoping to raise as much of that amount as possible.

“When it comes down to it, it’s not that expensive given that everything’s included,” he said. “You’re there for three to six weeks. You have the procedure and then they keep you around for a short recovery period.”

Besides the Downstream party, which raised an estimated $9,000 thanks to a silent auction and bike raffle, McCue’s parents in Grand Falls, New Brunswick are setting up fundraising events for him as well. 

“Before December is out, I’ve got to have $25,000,” McCue said. “It’s a lot to prepare for!”

McCue is determined to make the most of his situation, and thinks that the success of the procedure has a lot to do with attitude.

“You have to believe in it,” he said. “If I’m not going to be determined, then it’s pretty much a total loss, so I’m very determined.”