A broken arm at the Canada Summer Games leads to 'heartwarming' support for Rankin Inlet family
A family from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, says they're overwhelmed with the support their son received from fellow competitors at the Canada Summer Games after breaking his arm.
Manuel Netser, 15, broke his arm in a wrestling match against an opponent from Quebec at the games, held in Winnipeg earlier this month. His dad, Albert, rushed to set the arm and get him in the care of paramedics.
As Manuel recovered at the hospital in Winnipeg, fellow competitors and volunteers sent well wishes and gifts, overwhelming the family with support from strangers they'd just met a few days before.
"It was so heartwarming to see everybody pull together, to look out for one another," Albert said.
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Manuel has travelled across Canada for sports, collecting pins from the places he's been and the people he's played with and competed against. Albert said, as a token of support, other competitors at the Canada Summer Games started to send pins and other memorabilia to Manuel.
'They cared for one another'
"He's got a great collection of pins and all the teams got together to give pins to him. Some gave him jackets and shirts and caps."
Manuel also received several visitors during his hospital stay, including the mother of the teen who broke Manuel's arm in the match. Team Nunavut's contingent came to see him as well.
"We weren't expecting all this care from everybody, but it felt so heartwarming," Albert said.
"We wanted it kept quiet — you know, a broken arm from wrestling, what a harsh sport — but in actuality, everyone in the tournament was competing, but they cared for one another."
The doctors told Manuel his break is fairly common for young people and he's on his way to a full recovery. Once that he's healed up, his dad says Manuel will be ready to get back in the action.
"He's feeling a lot better now," Albert said. "On that very same day he said I'm going to get back up and get to wrestling and get back on the mat right away."
