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By James Peters

Two & Out

PETERS: We should all be so lucky to have a mom like Sue Simpson

Feb 12, 2021 | 11:22 AM

ON JUNE 19, 2016, Jessie Simpson almost died by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

For the transgression of trespassing, the boy was bludgeoned with in an inch of his life by a vigilante hopped up on adrenaline and a need to hurt someone – anyone.

The man who hurt Jessie conflated justice with revenge – and that perversion resulted in an unjust outcome for a teenager behaving like a teenager.

The responding RCMP officer said Jessie’s injuries were the worst he had seen in his career to that point.

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Jessie almost died that night and many, many times in the weeks and months that followed.

And that’s when Jessie’s mom stepped in.

Sue Simpson has now spent more than four years fighting every single day for her son.

She fought for her son’s life when his medical outlook was the bleakest. Surgery after surgery, Sue was by Jessie’s side.

She fought back against the attacker’s friends and family who used social media to continue the assault.

Once Jessie was finally a little more stable and it became clear that he would require 24-hour care for all of his remaining days, Sue continued fighting, leaving her job and raising funds so she could fulfill her dream of bringing Jessie home.

She cleared a hurdle toward that goal this week when her and Jessie’s legal team won a $7 million judgment from his attacker.

How much of that money Sue will ever see is unclear. The man certainly doesn’t have it lying around and insurance won’t cover it.

Whatever the case, there will be significant funds coming Sue’s way – hopefully enough to take some of the stress off.

She needs to be rested and clear-headed, because there will be a lot of fighting left.

According to testimony in court, not only did the attack decimate Jessie’s quality of life, it also took about 20 years off his life expectancy.

You can be sure that, however long both she and Jessie are on this earth, Sue will keep fighting.

We should all be so lucky to have a mother like that.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.