COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Injured Coeur d’Alene firefighter Dave Tysdal began his journey to a Colorado rehabilitation facility Tuesday morning, receiving an emotional sendoff from dozens of first responders who gave him a standing ovation as he left Kootenai Health.
Tysdal is recovering from a gunshot wound, collapsed lung, broken ribs and spinal swelling he sustained during last month’s ambush on Canfield Mountain. The firefighter has been unable to move his legs since the shooting, but began moving the toes on his left foot Sunday.
“He’s got a long road and a lot of work ahead of him, but I’m confident he’s going to come out of this,” said Scott Robinson, a firefighter with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department.
The sendoff at Kootenai Health drew hundreds of supporters, including fellow firefighters, first responders and community members who wanted to show their support for Tysdal and his family.
WATCH: Injured firefighter smiles, waves as he’s released from local hospital to rehab facility
“It was really touching, having the hallway filled with everybody. Just as soon as people started clapping, just the positive energy and the healing energy and just the love was surrounding Dave that whole time,” Robinson said.
In a touching gesture, Tysdal’s daughter painted one of his toenails before he left the hospital. Other supporters at the sendoff painted their toenails as well to show their support for his recovery.
“There was a whole bunch of us there, I don’t know how many people got their toenails painted, but guys and gals and kiddos were all out in the ambulance painting their toenails and probably hundreds of people that love David and Annie and their kids,” Robinson said.
Tysdal is now headed to a rehabilitation center in Colorado that specializes in spinal cord injuries. His family will accompany him during the rehabilitation process, and his fellow Coeur d’Alene firefighters plan to visit him there as well.
“I think the main thing is just everything’s really promising and it’s just going to be lots of physical therapy and neurologists helping him get there. But everything we’ve seen so far is very, very promising,” Robinson said.
The Red and Blue Foundation continues to gather donations to help Tysdal and his family during his recovery. Click HERE to donate.
You can also purchase a “Tysdal Strong” t-shirt from Vast Apparel to benefit the foundation HERE.
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