'It means the absolute world': Glace Bay students rally for injured classmate

The Glace Bay High School semi-formal dance on Thursday became a benefit dance in support of Tristan MacMullin, a student who was injured the day prior. They raised $1331.71.

Dance raises more than $1,300 to help family of Tristan MacMullin

Anjuli Patil · CBC News · Posted: Nov 30, 2019 2:56 PM EST | Last Updated: November 30, 2019

Tristan MacMullin was injured on Wednesday after becoming tangled in a hammock. Students at Glace Bay High School held a benefit dance to raise money for his family on Thursday. (Submitted by Dylan MacMullin)

The brother of a student who was injured in Glace Bay, N.S., on Wednesday said he is thankful to the students who raised money to support the family at a dance on Thursday.

Dylan MacMullin said his brother, Tristan, a 15-year-old Glace Bay High School student, was injured after getting tangled in a hammock. Tristan is in a medically induced coma at a Halifax hospital, but Dylan says he appears to be on the mend.

"As of right now, he is doing good," Dylan said. "They still have him in a coma because he has a little bit of fluid in his lungs but he's starting to come around."

Glace Bay High School had scheduled a semi-formal dance for Thursday, but cancelled it after Tristan's injury. Then some students decided to continue with the dance and make it a fundraiser.

'It means the absolute world'

Dylan, an NSCC student at the Marconi Campus in Sydney, attended the event to collect the $1,331.71 raised. He said the money will be a big help.

"It means the absolute world," he said. "As of right now, it's kind of hard to make all the payments and make sure we can get by and stuff trying to take care of Tristan.

"And the money really helps ease us and makes sure that we can keep focused on Tristan and make sure that he gets through everything."

Tristan MacMullin (left) with his bother Dylan (right). Tristan was injured and taken to hospital in Halifax on Wednesday after becoming injured in a hammock. (Submitted by Dylan MacMullin)

Kelsie Macdonald, one of the students who helped organize the fundraiser, said she and others were happy to help. She said she knows Tristan from school as a talented soccer player.

"We found out that Tristan really wanted to go to the semi-formal … so we decided to throw a benefit dance and raise money to send out to him and, hopefully, help him and his family out," she said.

Dylan said he is thankful to everyone who has been so generous to his family.

"Honest to God, [Tristan] doesn't even think that he has this kind of support," he said. "And if he knew the amount of people that were there for him and that donated and said such nice things about him and praying for him, I think it would touch his heart."

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