Call renewed for Christmas cards for Kamloops’s Jesse Simpson

The mother of a Kamloops man living with a severe brain injury is renewing her request this year for people to send him Christmas cards to boost his spirits.

Jesse Simpson was 18 years old when he was walking home from a graduation party, June 19, 2016. He was looking for a friend’s address when he approached the wrong house and was assaulted by Kristopher Teichrieb.

Teichrieb struck Simpson on the head with an aluminum baseball bat multiple times, leaving Simpson in a coma. Teichrieb was convicted of aggravated assault and was sentenced to seven years in prison. He has since been released to a halfway house.

READ MORE: Man convicted in brutal Kamloops baseball attack released from prison to halfway house

Simpson has since come out of his coma but still suffers from a severe brain injury as a result of the attack, and will require long-term care for the rest of his life.

Sue Simpson, his mother, said last year she received roughly 600 Christmas cards from the community.

“It was amazing, absolutely amazing, you know, the messages that people sent. With COVID-19, I spent Christmas alone last year… I went to see Jesse for half an hour and that was the limitation,” she said.

She’s hoping to bring him home to Savona this spring after delays with weather, COVID-19 and wildfires in the region, she said.

Sue is hoping to bring a turkey dinner to him this Christmas. In the last three months, he’s been doing well, she said.

His memory is improving and he remembers Sue’s phone number and people’s faces after he’s seen them for a while, she said, but he’s still in constant pain because of his brain injury.

The cards will be posted on a board for Jesse to look at, Sue said. She thanks everyone in the community for their support.

READ MORE: Why Jessie Simpson may not see a penny of his $6.9M award

Christmas cards can be mailed to PO 233, Savona, B.C., V0K 2J0.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.