'Our turn to help'

Photo: CTV

Ryan Leslie, centre, is seen in this undated photo

He was dedicated to coaching and mentoring young football players, but now those players are rising up to help him.

British Columbia's high school football community is rallying to help beloved former New Westminster Hyacks coach Ryan Leslie, who was left paralyzed by a back surgery gone wrong.

Leslie was set to undergo a routine procedure to remove infected tissue around his spine earlier this month, but his blood pressure began to drop during the surgery. Efforts to save his life resulted in blood getting into his spinal canal, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.

Leslie coached the New Westminster Secondary School Hyacks between 2003-06. The father of two ran the Royal City Youth Football Club between 2007-14.

He then left for Seattle to take a job with Amazon, and while he may have been gone, he certainly was not forgotten.

"He remains a presence here. He remains a well-known name," former colleague and close friend Farhan Lalji. "It's amazing he's been gone that long, but everybody still knows Ryan."

According to Lalji, doctors are hopeful he will regain movement in his arms and hands after several months of rehab, but he is unlikely to walk again.

That means his family will have to pay to remodel their home to accommodate a wheelchair and purchase an accessible vehicle in addition to extensive medical bills.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up on Leslie's behalf to help cover these costs as he embarks on a long and difficult road to recovery.

By Tuesday afternoon, the fund had raised more than $38,000.

"The entire football community has really rallied behind him…He never left his connection with our community," Lalji said.

- with files from CTV Vancouver