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For single mother Fern Fernandez, sitting in the hospital waiting to hear the status of her 16-year-old son, who had just suffered multiple stab wounds, was the scariest moment of her life. 

“When the surgeon came out of surgery, it all just went in slow motion,” Ferndandez told the Outpost in a phone interview Thursday. “When he finally said ‘he’s alive’ I was just so relieved.” 

It was the middle of the night on Jan. 28 when Fernandez got a call informing her that her son, Loren, had been hurt and was being transported to Mad River Hospital. Loren and his friend – also 16 – had just been stabbed outside the Arcata Theater Lounge, after leaving a concert. Both Loren and his friend suffered multiple lacerations, and his friend had a broken jaw. Loren’s temporal artery had also been severed and he had lost a lot of blood already by the time he arrived at Mad River. After undergoing emergency surgery and receiving 22 staples in his head, Loren spent the night in intensive care before being released. 

A couple of days later Arcata police arrested a suspect – 20-year-old Gage James Sand – under charges for assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, inflicting injury on a child and committing a felony while out on bail. Sand was on bail for allegedly shooting a 51-year-old man in Indianola. According to APD, another suspect who was wanted for aggravated battery is still at large. 

Not too much additional information could be provided by APD, since the case has now been handed over to the District Attorney, who will decide which of the requested charges to pursue. Lieutenant Todd Dokweiler, investigations commander for APD, told the Outpost that the department is still waiting for a notification from the DA’s office on the case. 

As for the victims, Fernandez said that their physical wounds are mostly healing up well (she and her son are in regular contact with the other victim and his family), but that there is still a long path of recovery ahead. Loren has since had his staples removed and his lacerations have healed, but he suffered some nerve damage that has resulted in partial paralysis in his face. He also suffers from migraines now, Fernandez said. 

Another issue came up about three weeks ago, when suddenly Loren began having severe tremors that caused trips to the emergency room. When she took Loren to see his regular doctor, the issue was diagnosed as a symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Loren’s doctor prescribed medication, which does seem to help.

Fernandez said she’s also working on getting Loren into therapy for his PTSD, which has proven to be difficult because most local therapists are not taking new patients.

Dealing with the aftermath of Loren’s injuries has practically been consuming Fernandez’s life over the last few months. In addition to attending regular follow-up visits and searching for a therapist, Fernandez has to take her son to Redding to visit a neurologist for the migraines and they will soon be seeing a plastic surgeon to address the nerve damage in Loren’s face. During all this, Loren works a part time job at the Salvation Army to pay the bills. 

By February Loren had already returned to high school, where he was trying his best to continue his education. Loren was most passionate about his welding class, Fernandez said, and had planned to pursue welding as a career. But since his injuries, Loren can’t wear his welding mask without it causing pain to his scars and triggering his migraines. His pain and tremors also make it difficult for Loren to sleep and trying to keep going to school became too difficult for him, Fernandez said. Loren is now staying home and will be finishing his school year through independent study. 

As a single parent working part time, Fernandez doesn’t exactly have a lot of extra income. MediCal has covered most of the cost of her son’s care, so the family is luckily not swimming in medical debt, Fernandez said. But she is concerned for her son’s future, especially since he now needs to find a different passion to pursue outside of welding. 

To help with the financial burden of Loren’s future, Fernandez has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for her son, which, as of this writing, has already received $2,097 in donations. As Loren reaches adulthood, Fernandez worries that it might be difficult for him to work and she hopes that raising a little funding can help him pursue an education of his choice without having to worry about having a job at the same time. Fernandez realizes that her son has a long physical, mental and emotional recovery ahead and wants to be sure he has all the help he needs. 

“I’ve seen the results of a lifetime of trauma and PTSD and it’s not pretty,” Fernandez said. “So I appreciate anyone who donates, because he is going to have to deal with this for the rest of his life.”