Upon entering the hospital I notice a group sitting at the table near the entrance; among them city councillors Bill Bestwick and Bill Yoachim.
"I bet I know who you're here to see," says Yoachim with a grin. "He's out on a walk."
Bestwick looks somewhat shocked, and slowly shakes his head in amazement.
"It's incredible," he says.
I'm at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital to see Coun. Gord Fuller, who recently suffered a cardiac arrest and whose prognosis of survival, until days ago, was slim.
Down the hall, a figure in hospital clothes shuffles towards us. His hand trembles as he fiddles with the heart monitor taped to his chest.
The signature ponytail is a bit rumpled, but he's unmistakably alive and looking well.
"Welcome back, Gord," I offer.
"Yeah, thanks," he says with a chuckle.
On the morning of Jan. 25 Fuller was found at a red light, slumped over the wheel of his van.
The man in the car behind him, Randy Cobb, noticed the van didn't advance when the light changed and when he approached the vehicle he recognized Fuller.
By a strange coincidence, Cobb and Fuller knew each other from decades previously, when the two had taken a forestry crew first aid course together.
Cobb immediately began CPR while passerby called 911.
Paramedics arrived in under five minutes, a factor that was likely crucial to his survival.
At the hospital, heavily sedated and on life support, it was estimated that Fuller's chance of pulling through was less than 10 per cent. Beyond that, there was fear of brain and organ damage.
Newly elected to council for the first time and a long-time and highly vocal advocate for youth, the hungry and the homeless, the outpouring of community response to Fuller's condition was swift and emotional.
Support poured in through social media, and via a fundraising site. Local radio host Joani Herron dedicated a show to Fuller and fellow council members wore custommade "G-Strong" T-shirts at their council meeting.
A gathering was hosted at Colliery Dam Park for people to show their support and share their grief.
"It's been amazing. Last time I went on Facebook and was on my site, I'm reading all these things and I'm trying to make replies and I'm crying," said Fuller.
"I'm getting 'get well' cards from Grade 3 and Grade 4 students at Fairview school. A lot of people have come up to visit me. I didn't really know how wellknown I was, because that's not why I do what I do."
As a child Fuller's father was in the military, and as a result he frequently moved around.
"I grew up in an armed forces family so I tend not to get too close with people," said Fuller. "And that's still true today, which is why I find it so phenomenal that so many people seem to know me."
At 17, Fuller left New Brunswick and wandered between Victoria and Calgary. He was often homeless.
"It was always easy to get a place, but keeping it was hard," he said with a laugh. He described himself as a bit of a partier during those years. "I used and abused everything. I probably should have been dead long before now."
By 1980 Fuller had settled in Nanaimo, and when he met his wife, he decided to change his life and go back to school to become a social worker. The course was full, so he enrolled in child and youth care.
The drive that has defined his adult life - to help and be of service to others - was a simple choice, he said.
"When I finally decided to do something, it was recognizing what needed to be done and doing it," he said. "Because no one else was."
From there, Fuller found work at the Central Vancouver Island Crisis Society and ran the Samaritan House Emergency Shelter.
He currently works with the chronically homeless as the housing co-ordinator for the Nanaimo Youth Services Association and volunteers at the 7-10 Club, a non-profit organization which feeds the hungry and for whom Fuller also serves on their board of directors.
"I've seen a lot of death. You see a lot of people pass away," said Fuller quietly. "But you know, if you can make an impact on their life - it doesn't have to be changing their life phenomenally, it could be just treating them with respect. That's what people need more than anything. They need to be treated with respect."
Today, Fuller appears to be on his way to a full recovery, though doctors are waiting for his kidney function to return before he travels to Victoria for an angiogram.
Funds raised through crowdfunding site GoFundMe, which is now at $7,500, will go towards some of Fuller's bills and will ensure that once he is out of hospital, he slows down on many of his responsibilities.
However he plans to turn his full focus back onto his council duties.
"Gord brought the community together," said Yoachim, who views his fellow councillor's recovery as nothing short of a miracle.
"It's not just great for his family, it's beneficial for all the people in Nanaimo."
A beer and burger night in support of Fuller is planned for 6 p.m. on March 13 at The Queens. Tickets are $15 and there will be a 50/50 draw and silent auction.
