Pasta Fundraiser to Aid Teacher’s Husband with Spinal Cord Injury

This past Thanksgiving, Ernie and Emily Chartier had a lot to be grateful for. 

They had just welcomed their first baby, Ethan, into the family and were looking forward to a festive holiday season with their new addition. It was a precious gift they had finally been blessed with after a long struggle with infertility.

The weeks following Ethan’s arrival had them on top of the world, but on Dec. 11 that tragically changed. Ernie was in a terrible car accident, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down as a result of severe injury to his spinal cord. 

Emily is an eighth grade math teacher at the Pier Middle School. Students and faculty know her as bubbly and energetic, a teacher that thinks outside of the box, and you just can’t get enough of her charming, Southern accent. 

When word got out about Ernie’s accident, the staff at all three schools rallied together to lend their morale, and physical and financial support.

Pier School guidance counselor Tom Quinn, has been in contact with Emily from the very beginning, when the devastating news of Ernie’s accident was first learned, and he has since been streamlining communication and updates between the Chartier’s and the school.

“It is very difficult to find adequate words to describe the impact of Ernie’s accident on their lives,” he said. “To say the least, it is heartbreaking.”

The past two months since that horrific accident invaded their life have been long and extremely hard. Most couples of newborns face the normal challenges of quieting a crying baby during the wee hours of the morning or figuring out how they can manage on only a few hours sleep each night, but that wasn’t to be for the Chartiers. 

The focus of surviving 2 a.m. feedings and cuddling a precious newborn were snatched away in an awful instant after Ernie’s accident and replaced with exhausting tears, anxiety and worry about what the future would hold for him in his paralyzed condition.

Quinn and a devoted committee of co-workers formed a fundraiser called Efforts for Ernie. This pasta dinner fundraiser will be held on Sunday, March 6 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Amalfi’s Restaurant in Narragansett.  Tickets are currently on sale for $5 per student and $10 per adult. 

All proceeds from this event will go directly to the Chartier family to help offset the expenses that will not be covered as Ernie now begins grueling months of rehabilitation and therapy. 

In addition to the heaping plates of delicious pasta and meatballs that will be served, there will also be some amazing gift baskets to be raffled. Family Game Night, Restaurant Gift Cards, Sports and a Reading Gift Basket are just a sampling of the creative ones that you can take a chance on, with all monies going to the Chartier family.

We caught up with Emily recently to see how Ernie’s treatment is progressing and how she is managing a new baby with all that is going on.  The information she shared was straight from the heart — a grateful heart.

She is grateful not only for Ernie’s health and their beautiful new son, but for the extraordinary efforts the school and community of Narragansett are making to help assist her family through this very difficult time.   

Cheryl: Most people can't even fathom such a tragic event taking place in their lives, especially just weeks after welcoming a brand new baby. What trials are you facing every day in terms of caring for Ethan and getting to the hospital to be with Ernie?  

Emily: Ernie is now a patient at the Veterans Hospital in West Roxbury, MA. Unlike the Spaulding Center in Boston where he did his initial rehab during late December and January, the Veterans Hospital has a facility on the campus for family members of patients. As a result, I'm able to stay there with Ethan and support Ernie during his continued therapy and rehab. Ethan is a constant source of strength for Ernie and they are able to spend a lot of time together now as the Veterans encourage family involvement. Having a newborn is certainly not easy but we are managing the best we can with lots of help from friends and family.

Cheryl: What is Ernie's diagnosis now, and what does the immediate future hold in terms of his treatment and rehab?  

Emily: Right now Ernie is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of severe injury to his spinal cord. He had a stabilizing surgery at R.I. Hospital shortly after his Dec. 11 accident. His rehab is designed to strengthen his upper body and to help him learn techniques like transitioning from his bed to a wheel chair and from a wheel chair into a car. As a former Marine, Ernie is used to hard work and challenges. Right now he is involved in the biggest challenge of his life and we are hoping and praying for the return of sensation in his lower body. When he returns home in late March we will continue his PT and OT as an outpatient. 

Cheryl:  Is there a way for friends and family to keep in touch so they know how Ernie is doing without directly having to call and talk with you? 

Emily: Our extended Narragansett family has been great. Ernie's family is small and my family is in North Carolina. We've been blessed by the outpouring of help that we have received, and I want to let everyone know how much Ernie and I appreciate everything that folks have done for us. Right now the best way I can think for people to reach out to us is to send Ernie a card of encouragement at his current address: 

• Ernie Chartier, Veterans Hospital
• Rm. 219 Bed C
• 1400 VFW Parkway
• West Roxbury, Ma 

Cheryl: How can friends and anyone else that is touched by this help?  

Emily Chartier: It's difficult now to know exactly what life will be like for us once Ernie is able to return home. A calendar of volunteers is being assembled by our friend Lauren Jones at the Pier School. Some folks are offering babysitting services, others are offering to cook meals while we are transitioning Ernie to life at home. Others still are contacting Lauren looking for ideas of how they can help. We are very grateful for these offers and as the time gets closer for Ernie to come home I'll have a clearer picture of what we will need most.  In the meantime people that would like to help can email Lauren Jones at the Pier School – ljones@narragansett.k12.ri.us  

Emily added, "Again, I would like to say thank you to all of the folks who have gotten together to help us. Ethan and I will be at the fundraiser at Amalfi on March 6 and look forward to saying hello and thank you to all of our friends. Please keep Ernie in your prayers."

Tickets can be purchased at any of the three schools.