Terry Farrell
Record staff
It’s been two years since Baby Grant Weaver made national headlines, and on Wednesday he and his father Doug returned to Courtenay for a visit.
On Jan. 30, 2015, Grant, then only seven months old, was rescued from the Courtenay River, after reports of a woman and a baby being spotted in the water.
Grant’s mother, Veronika Sophie Weaver, perished in the incident.
It was never determined how the two ended up in the river, but police concluded they were not pushed.
Grant spent a month at the Children’s Hospital in Vancouver - including two weeks in intensive care - before moving to Victoria, where his rehab continued at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health.
On Wednesday afternoon, Grant and Doug returned to the Comox Valley, to meet a few of the men and women from the Courtenay Fire Department who were involved in Grant’s rescue.
“Grant looked sharp in his new uniform and kid-sized fire truck,” said City of Courtenay communications manager Anne Guillo, in a press release. “He also tested out the driver’s seat of the department’s big ladder truck, and played with other kids from the department.”
The uniform and toy truck were gifts, to Grant, from the volunteers.
Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Henderson said the reunion was a very special night for the volunteers.
“Two years ago, we wouldn’t have dared to imagine this day would come,” he said. “We’re so happy to see how well Grant is doing.”
