donations fade, costs rise: lapu lapu day attack survivors and their families still fighting to survive
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jhosie sico and her son, aj, who was seriously injured in the lapu lapu day attack, with vanessa hill at home for christmas in surrey on dec. 26, 2025.
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every day, surrey’s aj sico sits in a wheelchair inside a south vancouver care facility, his body still bearing the marks of a spring evening that has forever altered his family.
“i never expected to see my adult son like this,” says his mother, jhosie sico. the 63-year-old has been with aj around the clock, sleeping in a recliner next to him at the long-term care home.
“he always needs someone beside him, either to change his diaper or make sure he doesn’t remove his feeding tube,” said jhosie, who is a retired hospital care aide.
“it is like my son is a baby all over again. every move he makes, i am woken up.”
this christmas marked the first time aj has been able to leave the care of a hospital or long-term care home since the attack.
eight months after an suv plowed into crowds at vancouver’s lapu lapu day festival, killing 11 people and injuring dozens more, families directly affected by the attack say they are still struggling to survive. many are facing mounting costs for rent, food and specialized therapy, while community donations that initially sustained them are running out.
thirty-year-old aj was standing beside his cousin jendhel may sico, 27, among tens of thousands at the festival celebrating filipino culture and community when the suv drove into the crowd.
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“the pair grew up together like brother and sister,” jhosie said. “anytime one of the cousins planned something, the other was always there.”
aj survived the attack on april 26. jendhel did not.
kai-ji adam lo, who was under the care of a mental health team at the time of the incident, is facing 11 counts of second-degree murder and 31 counts of attempted murder in connection with april’s alleged vehicle-ramming attack. he was arrested at the scene.
aj suffered a traumatic brain injury, multiple broken bones and nerve damage to his right eye, spending roughly 90 days in critical care before moving into the care home in september. he is now unable to walk or speak many words, communicating mostly through groaning and wailing sounds.
for the sicos, the impact has upended daily life, with years of recovery ahead.
aj sico, seen at home with his mom, jhosie, suffered a traumatic brain injury, multiple broken bones and nerve damage to his right eye.
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“i don’t always understand what aj wants when he cries, so i just hug him,” said jhosie. “the doctors don’t know the extent of the brain damage. we don’t know how much he understands, or if he will ever be able to understand that jendhel is gone.”
the family initially received financial support for temporary accommodations in vancouver from the cultural association filipino b.c., but it took months for additional care costs — including physical therapy — to be covered by icbc due to delays in filing. the $2,000 monthly payment has not been enough to cover the sicos’ mortgage, monthly bills and ongoing care costs.
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“aj was the one who supported us as a full-time barber, but he can’t file taxes or access his cpp or disability benefits now,” jhosie said. “as his mother, i don’t have the legal right to manage those benefits, and my retirement income isn’t enough.”
the sicos continue to rely on funds from a gofundme campaign to cover out-of-pocket costs such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy for aj’s brain. they are waiting for a referral to a rehabilitation facility covered by msp to access more intensive physical therapy, but say a clear plan is not yet in place.
“physically and emotionally, all this waiting for help has been so hard,” said jhosie. since paying for the sico family’s vancouver accommodations while her son was in critical care, filipino b.c. has not provided any other forms of help, the mother said.
“we expected all of the money donated would go directly to helping the victims and their families, but we were wrong,” jhosie said.
filipino b.c. initially declined immediate donations, opting to wait until a formal administrative partnership was established with united way b.c. to create the kapwa strong fund, which requires reporting on how funds are used and distributed.
united way b.c. has since raised more than $2 million from public and corporate donors for the fund. its latest report shows $1.5 million of the $1.57 million raised has been distributed through more than 40 non-profit and charity organizations, providing healing supports, basic needs assistance, mental health and counselling services, community-led events and programs addressing emerging needs, including $451,570 earmarked for filipino b.c.
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in september, the kapwa strong fund moved to the vancouver foundation, where it will continue as a long-term endowment managed by filipino b.c. to support its own service and operations. the organization continues to provide case management for 70 people directly affected by the attack as well as cultural programming for vancouver’s filipino community.
donations now made to the canadian red cross or the archdiocese of vancouver, however, are directed straight to families affected by the attack.
rj aquino, chair of filipino b.c., said the organization was never meant to function as an emergency responder, but to focus on building a community cultural centre.
“all these donated funds are going to run out soon,” aquino said. “the further away we get from what happened that day, people aren’t realizing just how much these families’ lives have been changed.”
he warned that the long-term impacts of the lapu lapu day tragedy are being underestimated, with many families facing permanent loss of income and lifelong care needs.
“in many cases, the tragedy has left the family’s main breadwinner unable to work.”
he said dozens of families directly affected are still unable to cover basic living costs, as they remain out of the workforce while providing full-time care for injured loved ones.
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rising costs — from food and rent to bills and trauma care — are compounding those pressures, aquino said, while delays and red tape continue to make accessing support difficult.
“on a good day, it’s difficult for people to navigate systems like icbc,” he said.
“a lot of families withdrew entirely following the traumatic event. in fact, we’re still learning about people who have been impacted, who haven’t received any form of help.”
the sicos continue to rely on funds from a gofundme campaign to cover out-of-pocket costs such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy for aj’s brain.
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filipino b.c. is urging senior levels of government to commit to meeting long-term needs, rather than limiting support to immediate relief.
“families are so worried they will be forgotten, and we share in those concerns,” aquino said.
b.c.’s ministry of health acknowledged the ongoing needs of victims and families.
“we recognize that people will have long-term care needs and will continue to listen and learn from what happened on that terrible day,” it said in a statement.
the ministry said icbc has established a dedicated team to support victims, families and witnesses, offering immediate access to counselling, physiotherapy and other therapies, along with death benefits, funeral expenses, and ongoing medical care. nearly $2 million has been provided across almost 180 claims. additional support is available through the crime victim assistance program and victimlink b.c.
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“we know there is more work to be done, and we will continue to work together to support people now and into the future,” it added.
the city of vancouver admitted that it does not have a dedicated financial assistance program to support the long-term or living care needs of victims of tragedies.
“however, the city continues to support community-serving organizations through its existing grant programs, and we encourage eligible organizations to apply for funding to support their work with affected community members,” it told postmedia in a statement.
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