There’s some good news for Savona teenager Jessie Simpson, as he continues his recovery after a brutal attack back in 2016.

His mother, Sue, says the GoFundMe raised $24,261, and around $17,000 of that was used to buy a van for Jessie.

“He’ll always have a brain injury and there are things in life that he hoped for, a lot of them won’t happen,” Sue Simpson said. “We’ll keep fundraising for him and just keep his quality of life going.”

“To everybody that donated, I want to let them know that it made a difference in his life with this van. We’re able to take him out of the nursing home and go to dinners and stuff. From the bottom of our heart, we want to say, ‘Thank You.'”

She also adds that since Christmas, Jessie has been a lot happier and that he’s been able to move his left arm and hold onto things.

Jessie is expected to begin seven and a half hours of rehabilitation each day in Ponoka, Alberta soon, with the goal of being able to walk again one day.

“You see him, he’s happy, and that’s what we wanted him to be through all of this,” Sue said. “That’s the only thing you can hope for.”

Sue adds the support from the community has made their journey easier.

“When you have a tragedy like this you don’t know how to deal with it,” she noted. “We had a few people who have come to read to Jessie since Christmas and it’s made a big difference in his life.”

“He’s got the company. They’ve done some baking for him. They’re just kind hearts and it shows in the difference in Jessie in the last few months.”

Sue says after four months of rehab in Alberta, staff will assess Jessie to see the progress he’s made.

The family will be keeping the GoFundMe page open for anyone who still wants to donate towards Jessie’s recovery.

“There are things he’ll need for the rest of his life, that are not covered by the government,” Sue added. “We’ll keep praying, keep fighting and keep fundraising for Jessie.”