Sensei honoured by Rockwood students amid health battle

ROCKWOOD –  For most of his life, Sensei Wilfred Seerattan practiced karate and integrated the art in everything he did. 

He trained, taught and led students of all ages, sharing his knowledge with all who would listen. 

On May 3, after teaching an afternoon karate class, Seerattan noticed he had a persistent headache that made him vomit any liquids he consumed.

“I took him to the emergency room at Scarborough General Hospital,” Seerattan’s fiancé Kate Tabone told the Advertiser. 

After waiting hours, doctors performed a CT scan on Seerattan’s brain.

“They found out he had a blood clot on the right side of his brain,” Tabone said. 

Seerattan’s white blood cell count was also “abnormally high” at the time.

For the next few days he was hooked up to IV tubes that delivered pain medication.

On May 8, he underwent a blood transfusion.

“The nurses couldn’t wake him up,” Tabone said. “They had pumped him with so many drugs he’s not used to.”

Seerattan doesn’t drink coffee, smoke, do drugs or drink alcohol, Tabone said. 

Doctors removed some of the medications from Seerattan’s body and he woke up and was able to “mumble” phrases.

He was transported to the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre near Toronto. 

Tabone noted Seerattan  was in a coma while being transported by ambulance.

Upon arrival he had an operation on his brain to remove “the right flap of the skull” to reduce the pressure and swelling the blood clot was creating.

“The surgery was great but Will was in a coma for going on 10 weeks,” Tabone said.

After the surgery doctors continued performing tests to identify the cause of Seerattan’s high white blood cell count. 

“We found out he has leukemia ... supposedly it’s the good one that doctors are able to control,” Tabone said.

Although the timing is unknown, Seerattan also had a stroke on the right side of his brain and eight seizures around his brain.

“Seventy-five per cent of his brain is damaged,” Tabone said.

She has many unanswered questions about her fiancé’s condition. What’s the prognosis? What will he be able to do? What won’t he be able to do if he comes out of this?

“Nobody knows, it’s anybody’s guess because it’s all over his brain,” Tabone said.

Seerattan was 59 at the time of his health complications and doctors informed Tabone it is unlikely he will come out of the coma.

He is in a vegetative state at Runnymede Health Care Centre in Toronto, meaning Seerattan will open his eyes and enter sleep-wake cycles but he can’t move his body or speak.

Tabone tearfully reminisced when she saw him a week ago.

“He was awake and I was talking to him. I played music that he and I share together,” she said.

“He responds to the music a little bit by opening his eyes and staring into my eyes ... he knows my voice [and] he really does recognize me.”

She added, “He’s absolutely amazing and he’s such a sweet man. Seeing him the way he is, it’s just extremely heartbreaking.”

Seerattan’s lasting influence

Seerattan is well known in the karate community. He taught all ages and spent much of his time at the Scarborough-based Eppleworth Adult Centre teaching karate to adults with developmental disabilities.

 A sixth-degree black belt and a world champion, his immense trophy collection proves his dedication and love for the art.

But first place titles aren’t what drew people to  Seerattan. 

“He was like a brother to me. I never had a brother growing up and one thing karate has given me is a lot of brothers,” Rockwood Japan Karate Dojo owner Sensei Donna Heskett told the Advertiser.

Although Seerattan’s dojo is based in Scarborough, the pair crossed paths in 2005 at a camp. Both had recently opened their own dojos and wanted to support each other.

“From that moment there was this really close chemistry,” Heskett said.

She spoke highly of Seerattan as a person and as a sensei, noting he is a real competitor. When she first heard of his health complications Heskett lost her inspiration to teach and train.

“I was angry,” she said.

After speaking with one of Seerattan’s students in Scarborough who also lost their passion, she had a light bulb moment.

“He would want me to keep training,” Heskett said. 

So she did just that. And to boost the morale of everyone who loved him, Heskett and Sensei Garret Embree, who’s been running Seerattan’s dojo for him, decided to host a tournament to honour his legacy. 

“The tournament was a huge thing. It was such a lift for everybody,” Heskett said.

The Good Wilfred Tournament was held on Dec. 7.

“People were signing up like crazy, we had over 200 competitors,” she added. “The feeling there was amazing.”

Students from Rockwood, Markdale, Scarborough and London showed up to honour Seerattan.

The Advertiser spoke with Rockwood karate students who knew and admired Seerattan.

“Honestly I wish I had more time with him,” said Rockwood karate student Roland Heskett.

“He was very close with my mom and they trained together for a long time. He’d always support our dojo [and] we’d support theirs.”

Asked about the tournament, Roland said, “Everybody got together to celebrate his life ... instead of mourning him.”

“It was incredible to see how many people he reached and helped in some way,” said Rockwood student Lucas Woodard.