Welcome back to the channel. I'm Dan Becker and on this
podcast, I sit down with survivors of all kinds to hear
their stories directly from them.
Today we're talking to Lauren and Sabia after a horrific
forklift accident left Lauren literally cut in half.
Both of their lives obviously changed forever.
And today they're here to share their story.
So you where did this happen? So the accident happened in it
right outside of Wilsall, Montana.
Pretty much a blink of an eye in town.
Population like less than 250. Yeah, right outside Will saw
Montana. Where?
Right on the bridge leading into Will saw Montana.
What were you doing? What we were doing was a bridge
rehabilitation job. So we were breaking down the
bridge and rebuilding it, basically just repairing,
rebuilding the whole bridge and putting down fresh new lanes
across the bridge so that there's no potholes and stuff
like that. So then what were you were you
were on the forklift? So the the day so I was on the
job as a laborer through the labor union.
It was my first construction job.
I wasn't certified or have any training or anything whatsoever.
I so June 6th, I turned 18 June 6th, that's the very same day I
went to the labor hall, filled out the paperwork or labor
union, filled out the paperwork, did the test.
And then the 7th I came back in for some second interview,
whatever. And then the 8th is when her
uncle who worked for the company that I ended up being employed
through, ended up contacting the labor union and got me hired on
to the job. Yeah.
And then so I was. Like you got any jobs?
Yeah. So two days after my 18th
birthday, I was signed on with the labor union or yeah, with
labor union. And then I was given a mile
marker. I was told head to this mile
marker at this time and be there by this time.
And that's all I was given. And what that's?
How it tends to go. And so on the 8th of June, I was
given all this. Come to this mile marker at this
time and be there at that, at the and be ready to do this.
Did this happen on your first day on the job?
No, no. And then so and so I traveled
down to the mile marker and ended up putting this truck
camper trailer that I was staying in on the job site.
And when I went, I so I went down to the mile marker and
that's when I ended up finding the job site and then learned
who I was employed by. And that was basically my first
week and then three months went down the line and then.
I was going to say, I believe the question was what did you do
at the job site? Sorry, my God.
And then so yeah, at the job site, what I was was basically
just a hands on grunt labor worker because I was still just
fresh out the gate, 18 years old, no certifications, no
training, no nothing. So I was just a hands on grunt
worker laborer. So I would mostly just be
picking up rocks or chip in cement or just hands on labor
work stuff that doesn't require certifications or training for.
If you send anytime in the Backcountry you know how quickly
things can change. And that's exactly why I use the
navigation a Onyx Backcountry. Onyx Backcountry is built on one
simle idea, better maps, and it really shows.
You can download maps before you head out so even when you lose
service you still know exactly where you are, where you're
going, and what's around you. I also love the dispersed
camping layer. It makes it easy to find legal
low key spots to camp without second guessing land boundaries,
and the trail data is super intuitive.
Whether you're hiking, backpacking, or exploring new
zones, you can see routes, terrain details, and plan with
way more confidence. It's basically like having a
local expert in your pocket, all powered by better maps.
Check out Onyx Backcountry and start planning your next trip
today. Use code Dan 30 for 30% off your
subscription and be sure to mention my name in the checkout
survey. Wow, OK, tell me about that day.
What what? What was the day?
You're up. You're on your way to work.
So, so the reason why I was even at work that day was the
previous the day before. So we would work 4 out of seven
days a week for four tens 40 hours and then you can work 5-6
days if you wanted overtime. Well, I wasn't planning on
working overtime that week, but the car that I was using broke
down on me. And so my supervisor said, well,
if you decide to work, if you work Friday overtime that day,
then come Friday after Friday, we'll take the trailer that's on
the job site, we'll load the car up onto it and I'll take you you
home with the with the car if she just works.
Right site was like 4 1/2 hours away from where we live, so he
was like there for four days. Oh, staying.
OK, I got you. And that's why when the car
broke down, it wasn't just like, call a tow company and get it
towed home because it's 4 1/2 hours away.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and it was my mother's
vehicle too, so I needed to get it home because she needed it
for her own. OK, just whatever.
And so we ended up loading the car onto the trailer and do all
that. Next day comes and it's pretty
much like any other day except there was only three other
workers that showed up because it was an overtime day.
So there was only four workers plus a supervisor.
And then actually a specialist came in who was an ex certified
excavator driver, whatever. He came in with an excavator to
help remove a big portion of the bridge because that morning we
had swapped from the fresh lane that we had just laid to
swapping the cones over to the other lane and starting to
destroy the other lane. And so that whole entire day,
cars that were coming through kept hitting the cones and the
water barriers, I'm guessing because they assumed they knew
where the cones were going to be guiding them.
But since we had swapped lanes, the cones were all moved around.
Oh, man. And so that whole entire day,
cones and water barriers kept getting knocked out of place by
cars, and it was like 3334 o'clock.
It was pretty close to the end of the day when my supervisor
yells down, I mean, come up here and come up top, come up here.
I was down by the riverbed picking up rubble because there
was no, no one else at the job site.
There wasn't really anything, no big jobs that you could do.
So all of us were just doing little, little hands on work
that we could do here and there. And I don't, I don't know what
the problem was with the forklift driver, with the
certified forklift driver that was there that day.
I don't know why the supervisor made him get out of the forklift
and had asked me to get in in place of him.
I don't know what happened there, but supervisor ended up
asking me to jump in the forklift and move a water
barrier that had been knocked out of place back into place.
And as I'm going to hop in and he goes, I, I let him know that
I wasn't certified and he goes, well, do you know what you're
doing? I go well, I, I know how to
handle it, but he goes, well, just move the water barrier real
quick and then that'll be it. And so and.
It was one of those like the blue, like great all forklift.
Oh yeah, So this forklift. Yellow Warehouse 1.
This isn't this isn't a regular yellow warehouse work OK.
This is like a. Yeah, talk.
Describe what it is. This is one of.
The other day that. I got it.
This is one of those like Big Blue telehandler forklifts that
you can either have a bucket or the forks on or whatever has the
big old boom on it. The the big old arm that so you
can't see out the right side of the window at all because the
boom is stretched and whatnot. It's like it's a, it's a 10K
machine forklift. I I don't really know I'm.
Trying to picture it, we'll probably throw it up.
On screen, yeah, it's a yeah, it's a blue telehandler and it's
all, it's only called a forklift when you put the forks on it.
So somebody on the job site had previously shown in the controls
to this forklift and I had watched over me as I tinkered
around with it on the job site. That's how I knew the controls
to it. And that's what I was telling
the supervisor. And that's when he said, OK,
we'll just move the water barrier real quick and then F
off pretty much after that. So anyways, at the job site,
there wasn't any anyone controlling the traffic.
All we had were just automated traffic lights that were on
timers and I think it was like 5 minutes or something like that.
They would just turn red, turn green and go.
Well, anyways, I was driving the forklift across the bridge, and
as I was driving the forklift across the bridge, I made it
about halfway and I see this line of vehicles on the other
end just start coming my way. Obviously the light turned green
and this line of vehicles is like going around the hillside
because there's like 1020 vehicles.
It's so backed up. And this truck pulling a horse
trailer, he's the one that's in the front of the line, and he
starts rolling forward and rolling forward more and more
and more. And he ends up going from, you
know, his lane to where the cones are starting to push him
into my only lane. And so at this point, he's just
barely over the line seeping into my lane and I'm trying to
get past his truck without scratching it and without
damaging the company machinery. And as I'm trying to squeeze
through without scratching this rancher's truck and whatnot on
my right, I can't see on my right side because the boom as
my view completely obstructed. But I know that I'm close to the
hillside. Well, that the water barrier was
knocked out of place. That water barrier that was
supposed to be right there, that's the one I'm supposed to
be putting back in place. Oh, wow.
Well, my right tires, as soon as they hit that dirt that's not
compact on the very edge of the road, I just instantly tipped
and like went into a tip, like went into a slow tilt down a 50
foot hill. Oh my gosh.
And that's when fight or flight kicked in pretty much.
And it felt like it was like minutes, but it was maybe
seconds of, you know, and I tried to hit the tilt, to tilt
out of it, see if I could get the weight to come back and, you
know, catch the whole machine and myself.
But it wasn't tilting. It was too far gone.
It was slow, slowly tilting over and tipping down this 50 foot
hill. And so I went as it was at an
angle like this, I'd say upwards.
I went to go Superman dive out of the cab.
Oh my gosh. I unbuckled my seat belt and
went to Superman dive out of the cab, which I blinked in midair
expecting to hit the road and be all good.
But I blink and I open my eyes and I'm halfway down this 50
foot hill and I'm seeing this forklift roll down towards me.
Like I don't know if the seat belt wrapped around my leg and
flung me over the cab or I don't know exactly how I was flung
over the top of the fork. This.
Is down 20,000 lbs. Yeah, but somehow I end up being
flung over the top of the cab and I cleared the forklift to
where I end up flying down the 50 foot hill, landed on the on
all the dirt that we had from the job site, which then broke
my collarbone, my scapula, my sternum and my.
Had a broken rib. And broken rib.
So now my whole like right rib cage and my right side and
everything in my body is raised compared to my left because of
how I hit. I landed on my right side and I
also got a very small brain bleed.
But that was only it for brain damage.
Was just a very small brain bleed from hitting the bottom of
that 50 foot hill. But I hit the dirt pile and I
open my eyes and I see this forklift rolling down towards me
and I watch it rolled the last 1 1/2 times.
It rolled 2 1/2 total. I was told I washed it roll the
last 1 1/2 and then I blink and I open my eyes and my forearm
muscle was got blown out from underneath the forklift when it
landed and it was literally in the dirt right next to my head
like spinning distance away. Like I could see every bead of
dust and dirt on it. And I've never been hunting in
my entire life or skin to deer or anything.
So like, and I knew I was looking at my forearm muscle and
so like it on it made me throw up because it was so surreal and
whatnot. But this entire time I, I'm I'm
freaking out. Of course, I'm I'm losing my
mind. I'm freaking the fuck out
telling get this forklift. Sorry, excuse me, I'm freaking
out saying get this forklift off me, Please get it off me and do
this, do that. But there's only so much that
they can do in this, in this situation.
But what I guess what I was getting at those, I was in no
pain whatsoever because of all the adrenaline in my body.
And so I ended up being pinned underneath that forklift for
like 30 minutes total because where we were in Wilsall,
Montana, outside Wilsall, Montana, there was no phone
service whatsoever. So somebody had to literally
take off from the accident like in a car.
In a. Car to.
Go get cell service and get from.
The Hop of the Hill emergency to call emergency services.
My gosh, the first emergency services that were there were
the Volunteer Fire Department from Wilson and Wilson, 250
people. And so they were like, we don't
know out. They were pretty much just there
as moral support because they didn't know what to do.
But my supervisor, he when the accident first happened, he
immediately was, you know, on on top of it because a kid, I just
gotten hurt on his job site. He immediately got across the
bridge, got the excavator, brought it all the way across
the bridge and brought it down the hill safely, and then got
the forklift all tied up to the excavator and was going to take
it off me. But a dude who was in the line
of vehicles, he saw the accident happen and he hopped out of his
vehicle and ran down the hill. A random.
Guy wasn't a. Horse trailer guy.
You know. This was a random guy that was
in the line of vehicles behind the horse trailer guy.
Horse trailer guy actually called emergency services.
Yeah, he. Took off to get service and was
he was the first caller. OK, Yeah.
But the dude who ended up jumping out of his vehicle and
sat by my head during the accident, he was a veterinarian.
Oh wow. And so the whole entire time
that I'm freaking out what not, he's making sure that I'm
conscious, he's making, he's getting my details, he's making
sure that I don't pass out, make sure that he doesn't lose me
basically, and trying to keep me as calm as he can and whatnot,
which I contacted him after the accident to thank him for.
Because I mean, he helped kept me grounded through that, yeah,
and helped immensely. But and I wouldn't be alive too
if it wasn't for his knowledge because my supervisor was going
to take the forklift off me within the 1st 5 minutes.
But the veterinarian said no don't take it off and for all we
know that's what's keeping him alive.
And then so they kept I was pinned under it for 30-40
minutes, something like that. Wait and waited till Mercy
flight got there, which they then landed on the bridge, which
my buddy Manny took care of all the cones and whatnot.
Like literally took every cone off the bridge himself.
And what what was what caught in the rudder when the forklift?
What is what part of the forklift is pinning you down?
The boom. So the it's so that boom, Yep to
the forklift is right across my waist, pinning the bottom of my
stomach to where I can like it's even harder.
I'm struggling to even breathe and it's got my arm pinned too.
But yeah. And so I'm pinned 30-40 minutes
and I'm conscious the entire time.
Mercy flight lands on the bridge.
Bunch of glass and dust and dirt goes on my eyeballs and they
think it's funny how I complain about that every time.
I was just thinking like. Actually.
Pinned on? Yeah, no big deal.
Forearms blown out next. How's my hair?
The dust. The dust in my eyes.
Is the well they? Blew a bunch of glass got blown
on my face. I know.
I know, maybe. But no.
So anyways, mercy flight gets there, they get their Gurney and
they get come down the hill and they they, they kind of
struggled to get down the hill with this Gurney because it's a
straight decline of a hill and they kind of struggled to get me
up to but they ended up getting. So once they got there, then
they loaded the excavator up with the forklift and they 123
lifted it up and pulled me out and instantly covered my legs
with a blanket. So I couldn't see them, but I
did. I saw I saw flatness and blood
and bones sticking out of my car hurt pants.
Oh man, so like I I saw it even when they tried to get were your
legs. Complete is it?
Is the boom big enough to cover like your like kind of smashed
your legs down? Is that what it was or so the?
Boom, has my waist covered and then the rest is smashed by the
cab of the forklift. Pretty much so it was.
Still attached? Essentially, yes.
At that time he was still fully connected, he was just smushed,
OK. Yeah, and, and I was conscious
all the way the mercy flight and I remember them when us landing
on the Halopad and it was like straight out of a movie
honestly, like how they depicted movies.
There was like 2 doctors holding the door and three nurses
holding the doors to the helipad wide open.
But as soon as you got in the hallway, it was all white light,
light, light like the in the movies into an all white room.
And then there was like 10 doctors 10.
There's just like they were just 20 people running around like
their heads are cut off. And and then, and then that's
when they transferred me from the Gurney to the emergency room
table. And then they started to cut my
Carhartt jacket and my pants off of me.
And I went to go look at my legs and the one of the nurses then
put my head down and put a strap over it.
And it was like, we don't want you to move.
You might have spine damage or you might.
We don't want you to hurt yourself even more.
Pretty much. And then she put a mask over my
face. And that's when I was put into a
drug induced coma. And then from then on is where?
Story. He wasn't very present.
So you're. Just having a normal day until
this point. Yeah, right at this.
Point like, so he'd be gone for four days.
You know he normally left late, you guys.
Were dating yeah we. We were living together and we
were dating. We had just.
We had been together for you weren't.
Married, right? Your boyfriend and girlfriend.
Yeah, We'd been together for about a year and a half.
We had been living together for about a year.
We moved in together very quickly.
But yeah, so I like we got pretty used to he like leave
Sunday night or early Monday morning, drive to the job site
and then I'd see him either Thursday night or Friday
morning, depending and then we'd get the weekend together.
I was staying in the truck, can't put.
That no heater electricity. Yeah, I was roughing it, Yeah.
And so on Thursday, I remember he called me and he was like, my
mom's car broke down, blah, blah, blah.
Like, can you take work off tomorrow and come pick me up?
And I was working at a credit union at the time and they were
like training me up to start working towards becoming a loan
officer. And I was like, no, like, I
don't want to miss work, blah, blah.
And we actually ended up getting into a little like argument
about it. And then, and then that's when
your boss was like, oh, I can, you know.
And so I was at work when it happened and I was, I was
running the credit union that we have on our Air Force Base.
And since it's so small, I was just by myself because it's
small. Let me preface.
This with the whole entire time mercy flight and people are
asking me for information and stuff.
The only number I'm repeating is her phone number.
Wow, OK. So yeah.
And so I'm like, literally closing, like closing the bank.
Like, I had just closed the vault, put all the numbers in,
and I'm like walking out to lock the door behind me when I get a
phone call from Bozeman. Yeah.
And so I was like, what, you know, And I answered it and it
was a nurse. And she was like, hi, like, is
this Sabia? Like you're the number we got
from Lauren. And I was like, what's going on?
And they told me that he had been in a workplace accident and
that he was in surgery. And that's all they could tell
me because I was just his girlfriend.
So like, I wasn't next of kin. They couldn't give me all the
details. And so they're like, we need you
to get a hold of his mother, who's his next of kin and have
her call us so we can get her the actual details.
So all I knew was he was in an accident and he's in surgery
like nothing. Else no details how's he doing
could give me? They said he's stable and in
surgery or I don't even think they told me he was stable
because I don't think he was. But they just said he's in
surgery and he was in an accident.
And so I immediately hang up and I call his mom.
I give her the number for the hospital and I'm like, I don't
know what happened, you know, like let me know when you know.
And my friend was coming in from Missoula, which is like 3 hours
away to stay the weekend with us.
And so I remember I got in my car, I called my dad.
He was the first one I called. And I was like, Lauren got in an
accident. Like I'm waiting to hear more
about this, you know, like, and I'm just kind of like because
I'm a catastrophizer, you know, so my brain's hitting me with
worst case scenarios, you know, and I and dad's like, you don't
know anything. You won't know till Santana
calls you back. Like just, you know.
And so then I had to the apartment.
Santana's my. Mom's yeah, sorry.
I had to our apartment and my friend is like arriving at the
same time as me, like, and I'm kind of like starting the extra
panic. And so she's like, let's go out
to your parents, you know, like while we wait because there's
nothing we can do right now, like let's drive out to your
parents. And so she ended up driving me
out to my parents for me. And they live about 30 minutes
away from us. And on the way out to my
parents, I got a call from his mom because she had gotten a
hold of the hospital. And we found out like he was in
a rollover in some equipment. And at the time he was in
surgery and they had to amputate his arm.
And at that moment, they were dealing with internal bleeding
in his pelvic area. And like at that time, I believe
there was like a single like knee amputation or something.
Or like they were saying that they might may need to amputate
the legs, something in that area.
And so we're like, holy crap. Like, OK.
And so like his mom's like, I'll call you, you know, every update
I get, I'll let you know. And I was like, OK, so we go out
to my parents and. And.
Dad and I are just kind of sitting there for the next like
2-3 hours, just kind of like running through the motions,
trying to rationalize everything, trying to like based
on the information we know, like kind of getting a picture of
like what, what life was going to look like, what the
possibilities are. You know, like, 'cause obviously
like they were kind of like settled with it, but it was
obvious that, you know, like, 'cause at this point he's been
in surgery for like a couple hours already.
And then around 9:00, we got a call from them that he was being
Mercy flighted to Seattle. And that I believe at that time
there was like some they couldn't like stop the internal
bleeding or something in his pelvis.
And, and the, the surgeons and doctors at Bozeman were just
like that. Like we, he needs to go to like
a top trauma hospital. Like we aren't equipped for
this. And he got Mercy flighted to
Harborview in Seattle. And then his mom and I got plane
tickets for the next flight out, which was like 5:00 AM the next
morning. And so then we went, me and my
friend, we went home. My cousin met us there at my
apartment, me and Lauren's apartment.
And they're like, get some sleep.
You have an early flight tomorrow, you know.
And so then we all get to sleep. And around 4, AMI woke up to a
phone call from his sister, actually his older sister,
because his mom was like too distraught to make the phone
call. Like she called his sister.
And during that time, like she was threw up and had to like get
off the call because the update was his kidneys were failing.
They didn't know if he was going to make it till morning.
When we got there, they had to amputate his left leg to like
the mid thigh and his right leg all the way to the hip.
And yeah, his kidneys were failing.
There was the internal bleeding in his pelvis, like was causing
all sorts of issues. And like, yeah, pretty much they
were like, you know, his lung had collapsed, like, you know,
And so yeah, they're like, this is the reality.
Like we, we don't know if he'll make it till morning, stuff like
that. And yeah.
And then around that time, when I got that call was around the
time to start getting ready to go to the airport.
So his mom and I got to the airport and then loaded up, flew
to Seattle. It was like an hour and a half
flight. And my cousin, who lives in
Seattle picked us up from the airport, brought us straight to
Harborview. And we walked into the room and
he was still alive, thankfully. But my brain and all of my like
shock and trauma, I, I was for like .3 seconds, I was like,
this is the wrong room, 'cause he was just taking up half a
bed. I was like, no, this little kids
room, like we're in the wrong room.
And then it, my brain caught up and I was like, Nope, this is
Lauren's room. And yeah, and that's like when
we physically saw the severity of it and like he was hooked up
to all sorts of tubes. And and then the timeline for my
brain gets a little, I don't remember what the timeline here
is, but at some point within while we're here, the doctors
bring us back. His grandma and his sister and
his mom and I are all the ones there at the moment.
Doctors bring us back to let us know.
Kind of like at this time, they're like, he's dying.
Like his skin is Dick like dying, like we amputated it, but
it's still like it's not getting the correct blood flow.
Like his kidneys are like not really working for us.
Like he was on an intubator and they had him in like a drug coma
pretty much like he was out and they were like, you know, this
is where we're at. They're like, but they, they,
they did tell us they're like, we're not going to stop fighting
to try and find a solution here. But this is where we're sitting
right now. And then the next day we were
brought in again because, because it's a teaching
hospital, one of, I believe it was one of the medical students
that was like on rotation had discovered the single case study
from like the 90s on hemicorporectomy surgery, which
is the what Lawrence surgery is the removal of the second-half
of the body. And there was a single case
study done in like 1996 or something and there were like 12
reported successful cases. And it was like a.
Military veteran, that, Yeah. Yeah.
And so like it was this very like obscure surgery and this I
believe it was a medical student who brought it to like the the
Lawrence team this. Surgery does happen more
frequently when it's infection induced.
Like there's case studies of it of hemicorporectomy surgery
happening to other people, but all those were infection
induced. There's only one other case
where it was trauma induced and like my case, only one.
Other. Surgery.
There's only one case study. Yeah, yeah.
That's what. I mean, yeah, case study, but.
There, but there's a bunch. Of other people out there that
have had the hemicorporectomy surgery that have had it due to
bone infections and what right not because of.
Forklifts not because of the. Trauma, right?
Yeah. And so the.
Trauma aspect is what was. So yeah, because there was.
No, like build up when you go at it from the like bone infection,
whatever, like you're building up to this surgery, you know,
for this it was, but it was still very obscure, right?
Nobody really knew it and Med student brought it to the
attention. So the doctors were like, as it
stands, this is the only way to save him, you know, and, and
they told his mom like as next of kin, like it's kind of, you
know, your choice on we can do like palliative comfort care and
kind of like Hospice, you know, or we can try the surgery and
they let us know like, it's a very risky surgery.
It's very long surgery. There's no guarantee he'll make
it off the table. What's the time?
Frame this is within 40. 8 hours.
Wow, yeah, this is like. So you're.
Obviously still in a cone. Yeah, he's on.
The Yeah, this was like the morning after his mom and I flew
in. They they, they, they end up
doing the hemicorporectomy surgery within 48 hours of the
accident happening. It was within.
Like 72, but yeah, within the first week of being in a very
short. Amount of time this is taking
place, yeah. And so everything's happening
like. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, 'cause this is the morning after we flew in and they tell
us about the hemicorporectomy and his mom was having a hard
time with the decision. You know, like, on one hand it's
sign DNR and let my son die, and on the other hand it's go
through with this surgery that he may or may not survive and
also make the choice for him of like, oh, no more genitalia,
stuff like that. And so she was having a hard
time with that decision. She hates me for this.
Decision. Exactly what?
If he hates me for choosing to make him live, but also can I
live with myself on not trying this surgery?
And so Lauren's sister ended up asking the doctor.
She was like, can, like, is it plausible for us to wake Lauren
up? Like, can you bring him down on
some of the drugs? And like, can you get him to a
coherent enough space where like he can make his own?
Decision. Yeah, decision.
Rationally and they're like, yes.
And so then his mom just had to sign off in agreement to letting
him, which I think was the most like ethical way to go about it
is letting the person who's going through it make the
decision. And so then that whole day
started the process of like bringing him off the drug slowly
and all of this, you know, and then they was finally in a point
where he was like coherent and conscious enough for which one
of the. Very first things.
So I was, I had an intubator in my mouth so I couldn't speak.
But when they brought me, started bringing me to
consciousness, one of the very first things that I wrote to her
was am I going to be in a wheelchair?
Yeah, so. He already like, he remembered.
Were you like? In your coma, do you remember
dreaming? I mean, was there anything going
on? It wasn't.
Like an official coma. They just had him on so many
drugs that he was just asleep. He would have some experience.
Yeah, he. Would have closed on Academy.
He'd open his. Eyes and kind of look at us here
and there, but like he wasn't really present.
Like it wasn't like a there was moments.
Where I thought there was snow falling in my room.
OK, Yeah, yeah, he. Was just in there OK.
Yeah, but at. Yeah, up to this point, he's
just on so many drugs that he's not really awake.
And then they brought him out and yeah, they explained the
severity of the surgery to him, the severity of like where he's
at now. And kind of like how it's like
we can either get you really comfy because like also his so
his skin, his room, what was still remaining of his limbs.
Like you could smell it dying off.
Like I don't know if you've ever smelled like necrosis or
anything, but it's a very distinct smell.
And you could smell like pretty much like the death of his body.
And they were like, it's either get you really comfy and kind of
let these infections take over and you go, or this surgery, you
know, and, and they didn't hold back on the severity of the
surgery. You know, like there's no
guarantee you'll make it off the table and you will be losing
everything below your belly button.
Like we don't know if you'll ever be able to sit up again
because you have no, you'll have no pelvic bones to support your,
your weight or any of your internal organs.
Are are you in the? Room when they're telling him
this, yes. Yeah, and and and you know, like
you, you might be bed bound for the rest of your life because
also at this time, none of us, since we had all just learned
about the hemicorporectomy, none of us knew about any prosthetic
possibilities for that or anything.
And Lauren, literally he was like, I don't care if I'm a head
on a plate, like I want you to save me or at least try.
They bring. You out of this induced TOMA and
there's I mean they're just dumping on you like this like
50. People there too because it is a
teaching. So they had like the main doctor
and like 2 main surgeons and then like 30 students behind
them during all of this. Well, what is?
What are you? Thinking what's going through
your mind so it's going through. My SO I when I was under the
forklift, I knew that life was going to be different from here
on out. I knew that my limbs are gone,
that I was going to, I knew for sure I was missing my arm.
I wasn't sure if I was going to end up in a wheelchair or not
with the with the loss of my legs, but I knew my legs were
going to be beyond repair. And so that's why when one of
the first things I asked her was, am I going to be in a
wheelchair? Because I, I needed that
confirmation, I guess somebody to confirm that.
Yeah. What happened, it is really what
happened and this is really happening and stuff.
But what was going through my mind was how I had all these
dreams and ambitions to, you know, move forward and do all
these different things. But, and I wasn't just going to
give up and just because I lost my legs and lost my arm.
And so, like in my head, I didn't care if I was like, like
Nixon from Futurama with the head in the jar.
That's exactly what I was thinking of when I told him I
don't care for my head on a plate.
Do what you need to do because wow.
I mean. Yeah.
It's. I don't know, I I just knew life
was going to be different and that all my goals in dreams
we're going to have to change. But I was ready to do it.
It because I don't know about you, but I don't know what's on
the other side. That's scares the I don't know
if there's a heaven, I don't know if there's a hell, I don't
know if any diet just goes all black.
I don't know what's on the other side.
So I was going to do absolutely anything and everything.
I couldn't stay like on this side of the fence kind of deal,
especially because in my drug induced coma in The Cave hole
that I was in, I had quite a few scary crazy trips that happened
that made me afraid to die naturals.
Yeah. But not yeah, I don't know it,
just that I think there's a heaven.
And I think guys got a plan for you.
I'm just going to throw that out there anyway.
But so you're so these nurses and doctors are all telling you
what's going to happen. You make the decision.
Yeah. And then?
From there it was just they I. Thought in the same breath that
they're explaining the hemicorporectomy surgery,
they're also asking if there's if they can find any viable
sperm do I want to keep it safe or cryo and freeze it freeze it,
whatever yeah and so I had to sign a bunch of paperwork saying
that they could freeze it and store it well the.
Paperwork was. The paperwork.
Was also used signing ownership so also with it because of the
trauma and the rush put on it there they wouldn't be able to
essentially test it to make sure it's STI free this and all of
that pretty much and so he had to like pretty much choose
ownership for it if he died like if I die and this sperm is saved
only one person can have it pretty much because and that
person also had to sign and agree that they understand there
was no testing done. There's no guarantee that it's
like tell the safe, whatever. That's what all that paperwork
was with. But they didn't end up it was
there was none salvageable, but too much.
Metal. Dirt and whatever makes sense,
yeah. But yeah, after that it moved
pretty quickly. They all got ready for the
surgery, got him ready for the surgery.
We found out later that there was a surgeon who had actually
performed A hemicorporectomy like 15 years prior, was in
Seattle at that time for like a conference or something.
He got wind of it and he actually ended up coming to
Harborview. And like, I don't know if he was
involved, involved in the surgery or if he came as like a
consult, but we did later find out that like he was involved at
some in some way with Lauren's surgery because he had actually
performed 1X amount of years ago.
And yeah, so and when his surgery came, it was like 8
hours, I believe he was in surgery.
And then after that they had to leave him open.
So the way that he the way that he was cut basically and the way
his skin was dying, they pretty much couldn't afford to have to
cut anymore away. And so they had to make sure
that all of the skin and everything was getting the
correct blood flow before they closed him up.
Otherwise, like if they closed him up and then that skin
started dying. Wow.
Yeah, pretty much. Then there is no solution.
So I don't know if it was 12 hours or 24 hours or six hours,
I don't remember. Again, it was all very but my
organs. Were literally in bags on the
bed and well, I was I I don't. Think they were like in bags on
the bed? I think they were bagged and you
had like a a dressing of sorts, but you were open.
He wasn't so well, you must. Have been like some super clean
room or something. Yeah, he was.
Like in the Super ICU of like top tier trauma hospital, like
nobody could come in without gloves, gown.
Yeah, it even had like. An airlock on it like like if he
left super super it could. Start beeping.
Because really. Yeah.
He was in like one of those like super and then they had to leave
him open for X amount of time. I seem to remember it wasn't
very long but also that hold it's a blur for me.
And then he went back into surgery for another like 6 hours
for them to 'cause it was all good, you know?
And then they closed him up and then, yeah, and then they were.
Gonna go back in after I had healed up a bit and cauterized
my damaged nerves, but I had so many complications after the
surgery that they weren't able to go back in and cauterize
those damaged nerves before I ended up and then by the time
all. Those complications were gone,
no one was really willing to open him back up because the the
risk far outweighs the reward type of situation.
But yeah. And then after the surgery,
there were so it like went really great.
And then his lung, they like took him off the intubator and
stuff and he ended up having a small like a tiny pulmonary
embolism or something like that, I can't quite remember.
But then at one point his left lung collapsed and they had to
reintubate him. And then they found out that he
had an abdominal infection that was like from the surgery.
From the surgery and. It was like leading towards his
spine. It was honeycombing.
Around my abdomen. It wasn't honeycombed.
At that point, slowly reaching. Towards my spine honeycomb.
No, the honeycomb was the one in his abdomen, but it didn't start
honeycombing until we were in Great Falls.
After this decision was made, it was still just a massive
infection that wasn't draining and was just getting worse.
And that mixed with the lung stuff going on and he had like
intubated induced pneumonia or something like that.
And like, so like the surgery was good, but it was still like
he's dying pretty much, especially with the embolism.
Yeah. Lungs.
Lungs clot. Blood clot in the lungs
intubated to induce pneumonia, abdominal infection, and I think
there was. Something else.
There was one other. There were all these.
Complications going but my kidneys were fail.
Weren't they weren't failing. But you're they weren't one of
your kidneys was struggling or something.
But yeah, we pretty much got told like he's.
He's dying left and right or there's things going wrong left
and right. He might die.
What do you guys want to do? And that's when it was pretty
much brought to my attention of, hey, you're dying.
We've done pretty much all we can do.
Do you want to go DNR or do you want to?
The options are. Pretty much stay in this
hospital, try to fight the infection with the risk of dying
or go DNR into Hospice care. How long were you at the
hospital? At this point, like a.
Week See. But weeks.
But coming out of my How long were we?
Two weeks because. I was there two weeks, OK.
So we. Were there for about two weeks
and the doctor comes up and says you're having a complication
after complication. We don't know if you've got
survivions. Here are the.
Options and I'm coming out of another drug induced coma.
No, no. You were not in another drug
induced coma. You were just on a lot of drugs.
OK, I was just on. A lot of drugs.
And so to me, the way that I, the way it came to me in my mind
and whatnot, and it's not how it went, but this is how I, this is
what I was thinking in the moment and why I made the
decision I made and whatnot is the way it was proposed to me
was, Hey, you're dying. What, since you're dying, what's
your death wish? And that's when I told them, Oh,
if I'm dying, I want to die in my 68 Ford on the, on the, on
the laying on the bench seat while listening to music, the
engine on smoking a joint. That's how I want to go out.
And that's when they brought the DNR Do not Resuscitate orders up
and had me sign the do not resuscitate orders.
And that's when I was transferred from Harborview,
then back to Great Falls, Mt to my hometown, to the Hospice.
To the. Hospice and that's when we got
to Hospice. That's when I realized and
learned what Hospice was, was end of life palliative care.
And at that moment, I was still on feeding.
Tube Ng feeding. Tube.
Yeah, because and my stomach wasn't working, so they're
feeding me through the tube. Well, in Hospice they don't do
any palliative preventive care. Preventive.
Preventive care. And so they're they're just end.
Of life, we keep you comfy until it's your time.
So they don't do anything to keep you alive, right?
Yeah, yeah, so due. To me having an Ng tube, my
stomach not working, what would have happened was they would
have just fed me methadone until I passed away from the infection
or from my lungs collapsing or whatever.
And as soon as I realized that, you know, I still do have a
chance actually. And you know, Hospice is
literally end of life stuff. And I, you know, I wasn't
looking to die or pass away. I was looking to fight if I
could. And once I realized what Hospice
was, I wanted out of there as soon as possible.
And so I pulled my do not resuscitate orders.
And since I had my do not resuscitate orders pulled, they
then had to kick me out of Hospice essentially naturally.
And then that's when I was moved from Hospice to the hospital to
the ICU in Great Falls, to benefits health system.
Yeah. And then that's where I like,
just bounce back. I was just gonna say that.
Must have been like a total mental shift for you, right?
Like, yeah. I feel like and it like it.
Was explained like they didn't just ship him off to Hospice
without explaining it. He I just think that his brain
didn't grab the concept until we were there because he when was
on too many. Drugs.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. For.
Sure, from the outside. Perspective it looked like
Lauren understood what was being explained to him by the doctors,
you know, and all of this and yeah, then by the time we got
there, he was like, what do you mean I can't have a feeding
tube? And I was like, what do you
mean? You know, And obviously I was
super happy that he pulled that 'cause that was, yeah, get into
the fighting zone. But then benefits is where we
start. Found out that the abdominal
infection has started honeycombing and when honeycombs
it makes it really hard for them to drain it because 2.
Different drains of my abdomen. Yeah, yeah.
And that one was honeycombing towards his spine.
And so then we were in benefits for about a month with them
dealing with this infection and, and, but as pretty much as soon
as we were home though, like there was noticeable change in
Lauren, like his, his since we were in benefits.
Yeah, that's what I meant, yeah. So.
Like his wounds were healing up way, like starting to heal up
quicker. Like he was more active, he was
more aware and it was just really that infection that we
were dealing with. Like all the other things, like
his lungs were like they just perked right up.
And like he had to do like some breathing treatments, you know,
like the, the plastic thing with the like the ball in it or
whatever. But like within like a week,
like his lungs were back to like, oh, we're working great.
And his kidneys were doing better, like, and it was just
that infection. And then over that month, they
ended up getting to a point where they were able to swirl it
pretty much to get rid of the honeycomb suddenly stuck.
A wire in me and. Just cut.
Open. OK.
All right. Yeah, I mean, I don't.
Know exactly what happened, but they broke.
They got it out. They both go on inner.
Walls of the honeycomb so that it was just one big Abscess
rather than like a maze, you know, And then that was through
the singular drain. And then Lauren was at like a
stable enough point and healed up enough because just within
that month of being back home, like his, his scarring had
already started, like kind of healed up enough to.
Where they were able to pull the stitches out, Yeah.
And that's, and then that's when he was sent to Shirley Ryan in
Chicago for rehabilitation, for prosthetics and wound care.
Like kind of that's where they kind of help him adjust to his
new, like reality pretty much, Yep.
So what is the new? Reality for you like.
After the accident, like initially new reality was
pretty, pretty difficult because I was pretty much fully
dependent on somebody else for help when I was not dependent on
anyone for help before. And so really it it, it was
difficult to start to voice things and ask for things that I
needed and need help with. Oh, wow.
Yeah, right. You.
You felt like you were putting somebody out maybe, or you
wanted to do this yourself instead.
Independent. Independent.
Yeah, ask for help. Isn't really his specialty, so.
That is still something I I struggle with today, but how do
you feel when? People try to help you though,
do you feel? I don't get put off by people
trying to help me or anything like that.
It's just me. Me learning how to voice and
advocate for myself and not feeling.
Like a burden that was a big thing in the beginning was like
every everything that I learned how to do for him and how to
help him with. Like there were constant
apologies for like, like I'd have to help him transfer over
onto this thing and he'd like apologize for like needing help.
And I'm like, no, like you don't apologize for existing, you
know, And that was a big thing. But, but once we were in rehab,
honestly, the transition was really nice.
They like started immediately on working on his phantom pain.
His other pains like doing stretches everyday was PTOTPT
working with prostheticians. They taught me how to do his
ostomy care, his wound care, how to help him with stretches.
They like they showed us like some bath cot options.
He got his first real shower since the accident while we were
in rehab and we were there for we got there.
That's the picture you. See me doing like this, you
knees and like that. Purple.
Yeah, yeah. That was his first real shower
after the accident. And yeah, we just kind of, they
taught us like we practice like vehicle transfers.
We once his prosthetic, his trial, original trial prosthetic
was made, we practice getting that on wheelchair transfers.
They taught him exercises to do to kind of keep his body not
only like in shape, but these exercises that help with his
pain. Wheelchair practice.
You know, they took us out around town to get used to being
in a power chair, like they just the whole 9 yards and we were
there for two months. Which we should have stayed
there longer, yeah, but we. Were ready to go home I bet.
So as soon as we got the trial prosthetic and the infection was
fully gone and he didn't need to be in the medical lace anymore,
we're like, can we go home? And just like, come?
Yeah, right. Like we're ready to go home.
But yeah, no, the rehab moved very quickly and every day was
learning something new. We're practicing something we've
been practicing. And it made the transition to
home really easy. Like by the time we got home, we
knew everything we need to do, and we slipped into that new
reality. Yeah, I'd.
Say with the with the test trial body prosthetic that I had
initially coming out of rehab, life was pretty great.
I was able to be pretty independent.
Like I could get up by myself by 6:00 in the morning.
I could brush my teeth, do my hair, get ready, do all my empty
my bags, all that sort of like from.
A bed, yeah, to the prosthetic could do it all.
Himself so I can get. One say it.
So right after rehab, we get home.
This is how daily life was for the first year until I got the
finalized body prosthetic, which I'm in now.
So this is how mornings would go.
I wake up at say like 6. I then get myself up in my body
prosthetic and then transfer myself from body prosthetic to
wheelchair, buffle myself. And then I would then take my
nephrostomy bags that I had at the time, the 2 bags of my
kidneys. I'd then rolled to the bathroom,
empty those in the bathroom, flush the toilet, whatever.
Then I'd roll up to the sink, I'd brush my teeth, I'd wet down
my hair, I'd, you know, brush my beard hair, whatever, Get ready
for the day, wash my face. And then from then there, I
would then either, you know, go play my video games, I'd watch
TV or, you know, just start my day, whatever, whatever my day
consisted of. But as soon as I got the
finalized body prosthetic, it ripped away like 90% of my
independence because so. I don't know if you can see like
how large it actually is compared to like his body.
That's oh wow. Like OK.
So inside of here are all these air cushions.
I don't know if you can see it from there.
It's called the Roho. Yeah, yeah.
And so the entire prosthetic has those inside of them.
And, and the thing about the Roho prosthetic is it is great
for what it needs to do. It's phenomenal for his for his
pain because the way he is cut, he has no supporting bones and
so his body prosthetic has to evenly distribute pressure all
around his body so that all of his like organs and stuff aren't
pushing down on the bottom. So the whole bit in case needs
to be evenly distributed on pressure or like an X.
Skeleton and I'm only. L4 up, yeah.
So I'm. I can't put pressure on the
bottom of my spine. It'll also breakdown.
Yeah, and. So the Roho really is the best
option in terms of longevity for all of this.
Feel like I've seen you in videos.
Where you sit up without the prosthetic right You can do it
from time to time right me and like.
Kind of be up if he's in a really cushioned area, but he
can't like sit, sit, you know what I mean?
And he's always at a light angle for that.
But yeah. So with the Rojo though, the,
the part that rips away the independence is not only the
size of the new prosthetic to accommodate for all of those air
pockets, because it's in the front, in the back, on the
bottom right, but also the weight due to the size.
It's very hard, hard for Lauren to put himself in it like he
could with the old bucket that had foam in it, because the size
and the weight of it is really hard.
And then once he is in it, there's two different tubes, one
connected to the sides in the back and one connected the
front. They're these where you have to
air them up and so you have to use a manual pump.
Yeah, they air. These.
Air pockets. They even give an automatic.
Foam they give them, yeah. And so not only is the size and
weight too much for him to get in it by himself, but then he
can't even air it up himself. So now he if he wants to be out
of bed or in his prosthetic, he has to rely on somebody else.
And that took away a lot of the independence because with the
Trial 1, when it was just foam, it was light, it was small, he
could do it all himself and he didn't have to rely on someone
for that. But we are in the process of
getting another. It's kind of a mixture of a foam
and an air pocket, one that's smaller and he can get up by
himself to kind of get that independence back.
Did they already? I mean, with just such a small
sample of people that this has happened to, did they have, were
these like already predesigned this kind of thing actually.
The, like, inventor of these prosthetics is the one who did
his prosthetics. Oh, wow.
Yeah. And it was sent back.
And forth from Great Falls, Mt to St.
Louis, MO and and also. To Shirley Ryan at some .0.
Yeah, I don't. Remember, but basically are
people in Great Falls, Shirley Ryan and then John the bucket
dude, they were all collectively involved.
So it got sent all sorts of places.
And then the finalized and and, and again, like the finalized
prosthetic in terms of longevity and like safety and comfort for
his body. It is a really good prosthetic.
Like it is really amazing. He doesn't get sores.
He can be up in it for like 16 hours sometimes and feel totally
fine like I've set up for 20. 6 before yeah like.
In terms of 26. Yeah.
Yeah, in terms of, like, actual comfort and goodness for his,
like, bones and his skin, it's a great prosthetic.
But in terms of independence, ripped it away.
And so now we're trying to find like an in between where it's
like, OK, this still has a few key components that like, will
keep his body safe and like, good and not have to worry about
sores or his spine or anything like that.
But can we do it in a way where he can do it himself and doesn't
have to rely on someone else to just get out of bed?
Yeah, which we already. Have a test trial, yes, we're.
In the process of it that we. Have already made and I can
already get in that one myself almost.
Almost. There's only one.
Part There's one. Is it that black?
I feel like I saw you pretty good.
It was a black one, right? Justin about.
It Yeah, yeah, yeah. We just have a one an exterior
adjustment to make for his tubing and then the bottom of it
is lined currently with memory foam, but they're going to
replace it with an air airlining similar to row.
So impressive to. See you do that.
To get in it. Get in it by.
Oh my gosh. Yeah, and.
That's what we're trying to get back because for the last four
or five years since we've had this one, if he wants to get up,
he's solely reliant on me to get him up.
And if I'm not feeling good or if I'm asleep or you know, like
it's, it's a big give or take and if if of opposite sleep.
Schedules. Yeah, like, like I'm going to.
Bed when he's waking up for the day, you know?
Yeah. So so.
You OK? You were living together, but
now you're married. We are.
OK. Take me through that whole
process because I'm, I mean, that's a story, so.
She actually she so. Before the accent, Lauren had
gotten me a promise ring and we had discussed like, eventually
we want to get married, but we're still young, so it's not
really like a thing we're worried about at the time.
And then when his accident happened, I was thinking about
like the promise ring and all of that.
And so I got him a like his own version of a promise ring kind
of as like a, a repromise of like, hey, this crazy thing
happened, but this is me showing you that I still want to spend
my life with you. I still eventually want to marry
you, yadda yadda. And so that it was it was a
promise ring in return I was talking about.
How you asked about marriage that was within.
The conversation, it was me saying I still want to get
married to you took it as a proposal because you weren't
actually listening. He was just that.
He was that excited man he was. Being a man, he saw ring, he
tuned the rest out and he when she proposed me, I gave him a
promise ring, meaning I still want to marry you one day.
It was just a repromise of all this crazy stuff happened and I
still want to marry you. OK.
Yeah, we've been. Having this debate ever since it
happened because he remembers it completely different, I can
imagine. He was There was a.
Time. There was one time where she
asked about us getting married and I told her not at this
moment, let's wait till we're home and not dealing with all
this crazy shit with rehab and all that.
That's what I was bringing. It's just pillow talk.
Though there was no ring involved with that.
That was just, are we still going to get married?
And you said, I don't want to think about it right now.
And then we got back to Great Falls and that's when I gave you
the promise ring. And I said, so you know, I still
want to eventually. You're you're.
Opening a can of worms here with oh, that's right, that's.
Right, that's right. Thing has been going on.
For years it's pointless, but yeah.
And then, then. But when the actual proposal
came and stuff like that, it was late 2020 or like summer of 2020
roughly, yeah. 'Cause we got married.
February of 21 and we got married like 3 months after you
proposed. Yeah.
So yeah, it was. Late 2020.
Yep. Wow.
Yeah, then and there. It was it was a very on brand
for us proposal. Yeah, it.
Was nothing special. It was she was a A God.
So we had a fish tank or we used to have fish, a fish, a fish.
And we have this gigantic tank and Sabia was dealing with
cleaning it or whatever changing out.
Like all of the water, pretty much like doing a full reset
and. This is what she was doing.
No, I'm kidding. She was struggling to change the
water in the tank out and she ended up getting covered in this
dirty fish tank water and just she ended up freaking out,
losing her mind over it. And because she was freaking out
what not I tried to like cheer her up by proposing to her.
I just don't. That'll do it.
I'm just. Leaving out here.
Is he went with his breath, you tell.
Those stories 'cause I tell them wrong, America, you do.
You, I'll tell it. Then I mean, that's how.
It went, but you left out like the most important bit where
when all of it went wrong, you weren't home.
You came home to me crying, covered in fish water.
And then I was telling you the story of it when you just
because he had bought the ring, like that day he went to the
mall with his brother under the guise of I'm just going to go
window shopping with my brother. And he bought the ring.
And then he was gonna like do a whole big thing.
And then he got home to me, like, sitting in the living room
covered in stinky fish water, hysterically crying.
And I was telling him, like, what happened?
And then I turned around and he's just, like, sitting there
with the ring. So he was gonna like, actually
like, you know, sorry about the fish.
Tank, will you marry me? All right, Yeah.
So that's why I feel like it's very on brand for us, because
there was a plan in place and then something came up and we're
like, no, where'd you get proposing right now?
Because I know that'll make you feel better and it'll distract
your brain. And it did.
And then I'll then, then, yeah. And then we got married just.
And you were? Crying for joy at that moment
Exactly. Tears immediately.
Changed, yeah. And then, yeah, and then we just
went and got married at the courthouse, like couple months
later at the courthouse. Well, we went and got the.
Paperwork at the courthouse and then we went and got married at
her parents place. My mom little small get
together. Wow.
I wore my mom's 'cause my parents had like a cozy little
courthouse wedding back when they got married.
My mom had this like patchwork, really pretty patchwork, like
summer dress kind of. And that was her wedding dress.
And when we got married, cause since it was just like at my
parents and my mom was officiating it and it's just
like a little gathering. I was just, I just threw on like
one of my summer dresses. And then when we got to my
parents, I didn't like the dress I chose.
And then my mom and I joked about me trying on her wedding
dress like just to, you know, just for giggles, you know, And
it ended up fitting perfectly. And then I was like, OK, well,
I'm getting married in your wedding dress then.
And so, but yeah, it was a very, it was a very, the day was
exactly as it needed to be. We had.
The people there that we needed and wanted and yeah, it was nice
and cozy. I, I'm, I'm not big with like
big things anyway. So like, it was perfect for us.
You guys are so. Impressive.
I mean, you obviously love him. I do.
My best most days, but I. Mean, yeah.
No, you could have been. Somebody that was just like, I'm
out. Oh, yeah, I don't want to deal
with this. Yeah.
You could have been just, you know, that's your life now I'm
going. To go, but that didn't happen.
No, I, I. Could not really picture moving
forward in my life without him by my side.
Pretty much. You know, it wasn't even really
a thought. I was just like, OK, this is our
life now, what's the next step? You know, there wasn't ever
that, oh, do I go, do I stay? Do I go, do I stay?
It was just kind of like, OK, so did you.
Were you ever worried about that?
Are you kidding? Yeah, I was worried about it
initially. I mean, because, you know, she's
staying with a dude that can't be the man of the house anymore.
But she she's never wavered at all in her stance whatsoever.
So I don't worry about it whatsoever anymore.
But the first like a year, I did worry about it just because
you're processing. So much stuff, yeah, And there
were a lot. Of I mean just emotionally and.
Yeah. Yeah.
And and to be honest, I don't know if I would have stuck
around and that's OK. If things were swapped.
Around cuz it's a lot. It is.
And that's just not everyone. You know, there are people out
there who would stay and there are people out there who
wouldn't stay. And, and, and I think what's
important is that I stayed, but that doesn't mean that if I
left, it would have been the wrong thing to do.
You know what I mean? Like, yeah.
Just like if I. Couldn't handle it.
And I left and nobody would hold that against me.
You wouldn't hold that against me.
You know, like staying or going. There is no right choice.
It's whatever feels right for the person making the choice.
Yeah. And so if it happened to me and
you left, I wouldn't have hold held that against you.
And I don't hold it against you knowing that you might not have
been able to stay, because that's silly, but.
She honestly gave up a lot staying by my side.
Not really. She.
Gave up schooling, she gave up a career.
No, I can still do. Those things I just didn't want
to. And I get to.
Sleep until 1:00 in the afternoon.
You get to sleep. Till 1.
Is that what you said? I hang out with my.
Husband all day. Yeah, you know, so.
What is that? I gave up a.
Bunch for this, but I didn't. I mean what is nice?
Is that she gets paid to be my 24 hour caregiver so essentially
where she gets paid and just to love him to.
Love her husband. And you get to.
Be on amazing podcasts. Yeah, AM.
I right? Yeah, we get to.
We get to. Drive all the way.
Yeah, exactly. Over here.
And. This is an amazing opportunity,
by the way. Thank you.
Yeah, absolutely. It is with tears in his.
I I'm. I don't know why I'm.
Tearing up so I don't while crying over my story, Yeah, I
mean. You you have such a a sweet
spirit about you, like you just are, like you'd really you just
aren't you're you're. AI don't know.
I mean, I think your personality and your determination, and I
think that that also that, that that fight within you to get out
of Hospice, I mean, that's all part of your survival.
And I'm so impressed with just how you've handled this.
I can't. I mean, I can't imagine.
Yeah. We we tend to forget how like
actually crazy it is. We're so desensitized to
everything. A lot of times we'll like meet
new people and they're like, Oh my gosh, like this is crazy.
And we're like, huh, Yeah, it kind of is, huh?
It actually took me because. It's just like.
Everyday for us now, we're so used to it, it actually took.
Me like a whole year, like 3 years.
It took him a. While of her and her.
Father both explaining to me just how crazy and insane it is
that the stars align like they did for me.
Totally surprised. And you could.
Be sitting here complaining like you're not yeah, at all like
you're not. You're not whining and crying
about the you know what you're dealing.
I mean, you're incredibly strong.
Who pushes? Me to get out of the house you
know what I mean I go oh I just want to stay in bed all day and
I do anything and he goes I want to go on a walk let's go on a
walk let's go do this like a dog if.
I could just get one lap around town in the vehicle with my head
out the window, I'd be happy. But now you guys have.
It would be so. Easy for him to fall into that
and just rot away, you know, But he he doesn't and he doesn't let
the people around him rot away either, you know, And you have.
Now you, your, your main gig is the, the content, right?
The YouTube channel and stuff like that, right?
Yeah, YouTube channel and I'm also, I'm an I'm a pretty avid
gamer. Like I'll play Call of Duty,
arc, Raiders or pretty much everything and anything actually
large game library. Yeah, I got like. 50 games down
at the moment but that's something I'm looking into start
doing is streaming myself gaming and whatnot just to feel like
I'm doing something productive rather than just gaming all day
yeah yeah but but yeah the social media with the YouTube
channels that's your. Main little gig.
Yeah, completely. Accidental.
Yeah, it was. Completely accidental, so how it
no pun, no pun intended? Right.
Yeah, How the? Social media channel came about
was we were still in rehab in Chicago and she took a video of
me sitting up in my body prosthetic for the very first
time. Well, that night she posted on
TikTok and this was. Her cousin.
And her best friend to see because she only had two
followers on TikTok and it was back when.
TikTok was still like, like this was 2019.
Like yeah, it was like the. Music thing or whatever, dancing
and stuff I got you seeing there wasn't.
Much going on on TikTok, so like, you know, like my brain
just like boom, no hashtags. I just like put it up and went
to sleep, put it up, went to. Sleep woke up the next morning
and mind you we were pretty private people before the
accident. I mean you you'll be hard
pressed to find photos of me fully full bodied because I just
didn't take many photos before the accident, but woke up that
morning to 13 million views on the.
Like overnight and. Everyone asking for the story
and at that time TikTok only did 32nd to a minute video.
I was like, we're not. Gonna make like 30 videos on
TikTok explaining this so we created the YouTube.
Channel, yeah, and. And we didn't even like create a
YouTube channel. I had had the same YouTube
account since I was like 12 because I grew up like watching
PewDiePie and all of them, you know, And so I just changed the
name on that and we uploaded a video to my like old channel and
then we went on TikTok and we're like, hey, like, if you want to
know what happened here it is. And and it just explained pretty
much what we just told you like the accident and where we were
now because we were, it's that black and.
White that. Yeah.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. And then?
People just kept wanting more. And then we're like, OK, this is
kind of fun, you know? And so then we were just filming
all of his progress and, and then it just took off and then
it never stopped. And yeah, now we get get to do
fun things like this. So.
And it's opened up so many opportunities too, because of
the reach of the channel. Like there are people in other
states or like like medical professionals and like other
States and stuff that otherwise because where we're at Great
Falls, Mt, like there's not much reach there.
And, and, and because of social media and because of the reach
it has, I feel like we've gotten a lot more opportunities in
terms of like his medical advancement then we may have
gotten. Oh, sure, yeah.
Like people reaching out to help and exactly and if.
We didn't have that reach with social media like we probably,
you know, wouldn't even know about all these options out
there. And if we did, there would have
been not really any way for us to you know, but so that's been
an awesome like benefit and sharing my.
Stories actually saved a couple of people, too.
There's been three or four people that I know of that have
contacted me directly that have gone and gotten a Hemi
corporectity surgery. Really, that has saved it where
before they. Were like pretty much gonna die
and then they said what about this surgery?
And yeah and, and also from what we've gathered is, is all of the
major hospitals also, they all now know what a hemicorporectomy
is like it's, it's not an obscure term anymore.
Yeah amongst like the hospitals. And so that's cool.
And, and yeah. And just just building that
community pretty much like, like we, we like just knowing that
we're showing other people that like whether they're struggling
with their own disability or their caregivers or they just
have something going on or nothing like it.
The community we've built on social media is, is very like
supportive, yeah, like, and supportive of each other.
Like our, our viewers are all supportive of each other too.
Like we notice that a lot in our comments sections.
Like people, they're not afraid to kind of share their own stuff
going on. And then we'll notice the, like,
community within, like supporting each other.
And that's been really cool to witness and like, kind of be at
the forefront of like, like, yeah, we're like the main focus
in the sense of like, we're the ones on the screen, but like
behind the scenes within, like the actual bit of our followers.
Like it's people helping people and like being there for others
who are in similar situations. And so that's been really cool
to like experience and yeah, have you met other?
People that have had your surgery.
Not in person, but I have met other people that have had my
surgery. Yeah.
What was that? Like.
Honestly wasn't crazy or really anything you know wild but I
have had two pass away on me. Rodger Queen and Rand Paul both
passed away and they rest in peace, but they Rand was the.
First one, Randy Hole was the first Hemi corporectomy survivor
we were ever in contact with after the accident because he
had been surviving like he, I think he had his surgery, he
said like 12 years ago or something.
And we learned a lot through him.
And then Rodger Queen was one who he ended up at.
I believe it was a bone bone infection and he had been
fighting to get a hemicorporectomy because it was
kind of his only option and the surgery was successful, but
there were other complications that came out to play shortly
after. He had a hard.
Yeah, pretty. Sure, something.
Like that, but. Yeah, those are, those are two
known hemicorporectomy survivors that like we've honestly I was.
Kind of a little jealous of them just because they didn't have
the chronic pain that I suffered from because they their nerves
were cauterized or whatever what have you after the surgery and
and but due to the. Traumatic bit of your surgery,
yeah, but. Due to how my surgery went,
whatnot, I still suffer from these damaged nerves.
That's why I take pain meds and pretty much he's got.
All of these nerve endings, I just shoot with nowhere to go.
And so it's just constant cramping in that area.
We're we're working, we're trying to find someone who a
surgeon or a. Plastic, plastic surgeon, he'll
go in and either block those nerves or cauterize them.
Yeah, you're going to have to block them first to.
Because that will determine if cauterizing them will actually
if you're listening. Right.
Reach out. So far, yeah.
Willing to they when it comes to any type of surgery with him, no
one wants to touch him because again, a lot of times the the
risk outweighs the reward. You know, if we open him up,
what if we don't get him closed again?
Because all like even already like at the bottom where he saw,
but you can tell it's stretched tight.
Like they don't really have the room to mess up, you know, And
so a lot of surgeons. We're getting Sir Yeah moved
around and so no one's. Really willing to do it like the
sack. That where my stool builds up
like don't mean to be TMI, but like it builds up up here behind
my lungs. Wow.
And. Then.
When I go to poop, it then travels down and goes across the
bottom and then it comes out. And I can feel it when I'm when
the stool isn't like when the stool is too hard or like I'm
constipated or whatever. Yeah.
And I can feel when it goes across the bottom of my body
because those damaged nerves are affected by it.
Yeah. And.
And be also because of how tight
everything shoved in there, like he can't, if he gets infect, any
type of swelling, if he gets a kidney infection and his kidney
swells, if he eats too much food and he gets bloated, any type of
swelling because everything's already so stuffed in there, any
type of swelling pushes on those nerve ends.
And so if he eats too much, his pain is going to hurt really
bad. If he gets a kidney infection,
his pain is going to hurt really bad.
If he gets constipated, his pain is going to hurt really bad
because it just pushes on those nerve endings because there's no
room for anything. But if we're able to get a
plastic, a surgeon or plastic surgeon to go in and block or
cauterize those damaged nerves, then I shouldn't have any pain
whatsoever because I was able to get rid of the phantom pain
within the first six months after the accident.
Like due to when I was in rehab, they did mirror therapy.
But and with the mirror therapy, what it is, is you're trying to,
you're looking at 1/2 of your body and then the other half and
you're trying to associate that you're missing this half and da,
da, da or whatever. I don't know how to explain it
exactly. I don't even remember.
But what they ended up? Doing was they took a mannequin
leg and put some jeans over it so I couldn't tell it was as
fake as it was I guess. And then they put the jeans with
the mannequin leg up against the bottom of my body like it I was
wearing pants. And then they put a mirror up at
the end of the bed and they had me look at the the leg leading
up to my body and then look at the right side of my actual
body. And then they took it away and
then put it back and then took it away and put it back.
That way I can dissociate that that was actually gone.
It was wasn't there. It's a really.
Interesting concept. Your brain, then those nerves,
your brain then associates that that's gone.
So those nerves will quit firing.
It's like how it was explained to me and how it works, I guess.
And then there's a video that we have on YouTube of these two
ladies stretching me on this foam roller.
What they're doing is they're stretching my spine and whatnot
because what they had told me or what they had learned or
whatever is that stretch. When you stretch the spine and
whatnot, it moves the nerves into new pathways along the
spine like redoing because where they're.
Pushing or Yeah, because my. Spine was pinching the nerves
and so it was causing the phantom pain or whatever and so
by stretching and doing the the roller.
The roller. Down my body, it was moving
those nerves into different pathways to get them to quit
firing off and thinking. That they're still attached to
the legs, which was causing the phantom stuff.
And yeah. And to quit being pinched by my
yeah yeah, no rehab. Was all sorts of tools for the
toolbox, like breathing. Techniques like making sure deep
inhale, exhale, stuff like that. Making sure I'm calm and then
also like working out stuff like that.
Yeah, I've seen you. Videos you'd like working out
and stuff. That's wild.
Yeah, the. So we learned a bunch of
exercises for him to do like from home.
And then this last year we started doing like personal
training, kind of getting out of the house type stuff.
Well, I started it and then Lauren started coming and then
he started it and I ruined it for her.
Well, it it. Started out as, oh, this is my
time away to work on myself. And then it turned into, OK, now
I have to get Lauren up and bring him with me and, and I
can't really focus on my personal training session
because I see his wheelchair tipping back every time he moves
in that machine, you know? And so, yeah, so I'm taking a
little break actually from personal training at the moment
because it, it turned more, it was, it was, it became another
caregiver role thing. But but.
We are getting our garage finished.
My brother's finishing our garage right now and we're going
to get have you seen the tonal workout system?
It's this wall mounted workout system.
It's it's like an. All in Yeah, it's.
Like an all in one type system that I can roll my wheelchair up
to and be able to access everything and do everything
independently myself. So we're going to be getting
that machine installed in our garage as a work and have a
workout area. I don't have a physical
therapist come over and set me up with a workout routine that I
can safely do from home. Yeah, and.
Then I'll be able to go back to my personal training.
Yeah. All right.
There you go. He can work.
Out at home and I can get my time away.
Wow. But yeah, no.
And all of that, like it helps with this pain.
And, and they, his personal trainers also taught him a few
other stretches, like when he's in his prosthetic that like they
were just doing for like, these are things you can do at home,
like, in terms of like your fitness.
And then we found out that these certain stretches and these
certain exercises also really help with his chronic pain.
And so that was like a cool, like coincidence 'cause they're
like, yeah, no, these are things you can do with your body, you
know? And then he was like, oh, these
things I do with my body make me feel better.
And so yeah. And then?
Also about to start eating more healthier.
Yeah. Plus foods that could affect we
don't eat. Very good because so you.
Can pretty much eat whatever you want though.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, no.
Dietary restrictions? None whatsoever.
But carbonate carbonation messes with my nerves like no other.
I used to. Oh wow.
I used to drink monsters like if they were water, but ever since
the accident I can't drink. There's no restrictions.
In terms of health, but obviously there's things that
like he's like, I know this is going to hurt me when I eat it.
Like his restrictions are more pain based and they're more like
we've put the restrictions on rather than a doctor being like,
you can't have this thing. He can eat whatever there's we
just know certain things are going to hurt him.
As with anyone. I know if I eat some cheese, I'm
going to be crying later going am I still going to eat the
cheese? Absolutely.
You know, but. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Surprisingly, no dietary restrictions whatsoever and I've
maintained my same weight for like 4 years.
Well, since I recovered from the accident.
Well, yeah, but the. First year, like the first year
and a half, you didn't fully get to a healthy I'm not dying
anymore. Wait until about the first year
and a half. Like it was slow going.
You putting like meat back on your bones.
Like if you look back at like that midway of the first and a
half year, like you still look a little skeletal.
You know, you could actually. I have marijuana license like
the green. The the medical card, the
medical marijuana. Cards and you can look at the
one that I was issued right after rehab and then the one a
year later and you can just. See the health Yeah, there's a.
Big difference in my cheeks. Wow.
Yeah, you go. Oh yeah, he doesn't like.
And that's The thing is too, is in the moment, like when we were
like, we were just so happy for him to be alive, that like, we
didn't really process like how deathly he looks.
But like now that like, he's at a healthy weight again, like
I'll sometimes go back to like those older videos and like, he
looks like a skeleton. And I'm like, oh, yeah, I know.
He was like dying. Like, yeah, wow.
So I have a question for you and I ask everybody this, but and I
I have no idea what you're going to say.
Sometimes I am absolutely positive and so other times I'm
like your case, no clue. If you could go back to that day
and you could stop all of it from ever happening, would you
do that? Oh yeah, absolutely.
RB. But you know, I don't do the
woulda coulda should as well. Ifs but but yeah, no, if I if I
could change that day, I would in a heartbeat change that day.
I would have taken the. Day off work and just gone and
got him. But yeah, yeah, I wouldn't have
jumped in. The forklift, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I we would have changed that
day, but the. Starters did a line to keep me
alive and perfectly well. Here's the thing, I.
Would change that day if I could keep my memories, because I
still want Atlas and I still want Gaia.
And if the accident didn't happen, if the accident didn't
happen, we would have never been in the situation to get Atlas.
And if we never got Atlas, we would have never gotten Gaia.
And what? They're more important than my
legs. It's not what I'm.
Saying, but I'm saying like if we could go back and change it,
obviously we'd know that we're changing it.
And so I'd want like if I'm gonna change it, there you go.
Sure. I can still get these two
animals that we got after the accident because what like what
if we had You can? We'll let you keep the animals
there. There you go.
Yeah. Yeah, you're good.
Keep the animal. Yeah, like, you know, I'd still
have to wait because that was in 2019.
Gaia was born in two years ago, you know, and Atlas was born in
2020. So like, it would still be a
timeline there, but I'd want to keep my memories of our babies
so that when the time came, like really?
Messed us both up after the accident though was my accident
happened and then COVID happened Yeah right.
Like like when we left Chicago two days later, they was when
they. Like had the the little lockdown
going on, so like. Ever since the accident, my our,
at least in my mind, our the timeline and time has been time.
Has just. Been yeah, just speed up
immensely and gone by so quickly like past six years have just
like flown by like especially because.
Lauren was so prone to infection during that beginning bitch,
like when we got back from Chicago and like it was the
height of, you know, like the everyone's, no one's leaving
their house. And like with Lauren being so
prone to infection, we're like, well, we don't know, like how
his body is going to handle this if he does get it.
So we might as well not risk it, you know?
And so we went like straight into our lives, but it was still
like this new way of living at the time, you know?
And so it was like these two big changes being made.
And so those first, like, I want to say like the first like 3 1/2
years since the accent were just kind of like a blip.
And in the last like 2-3 years, we've kind of been slowing down
and being like, whoa, oh, that all went really quick.
And did you get COVID? No.
You did. Well, you did.
He did once. And it was like last year, yes,
because the first time I got COVID, I got it from you.
But he was asymptomatic, essentially.
Oh, wow. He had like a kind of sore
throat, but he vapes and smokes. So like, he didn't.
We always have sore throats, you know?
And so he didn't think of anything of it.
And he was kind of like a little glowy.
How does sicknesses affect you? I don't think sick at all.
My theory. Is he gets chronic kidney
infections, chronic gut infections, and he's got this
chronic pain and I think his body's so busy fighting off all
these other things that like colds and flus, they just kind
of don't really his He's like just get out of here.
Like we don't, you know, like just push, they push away.
They're two weeks. But yeah, right.
He got. I don't know.
What you're dealing with, we didn't realize.
It and then I was like down for the count, like out of it and
two weeks. Well, no the.
First time I got COVID, I was in bed for like 3 days and then I
recovered weight quicker. And that's when you're like, Oh
yeah, I had a kind of a sore throat for a couple of days.
And then like, yeah. And then the second time I got
COVID was the end of last year and that one I was like in the
in bed fever dream, like sweating terrible.
I'm not like I'm wasn't mentally present for like it was bad,
yes. When she wasn't.
In bed. She was in the bath.
Yeah. Oh, dying.
And then? It took like 2 weeks for me to
be able to like walk farther than like 50 feet without like
oh man yeah that one took me out.
But yeah, he only got it the one time and he had a little sore
throat. That was it.
I was just curious if. It was like a big concern for
you that that was going to. We didn't.
Yeah. You had no idea.
We took the. Precautions because we're like
he's prone to infection so like what if it is one yeah and then
it ended up being totally fine for him his his but I I do think
that his body's just and it's a theory obviously but I think his
body's built up such a like a push out of infections that
certain ones like it's certain COVID is viral right As a viral
and yeah and so certain things like the colds and flus and
stuff his body's just like we don't have time for this get out
of here you know well I I. Think your story is absolutely
incredible totally like it's like bananas and you guys are
incredible your your channel is awesome I've been we try we.
Try and where. Can people find you?
What's the name of the channel Sabia?
And Lauren, Sabi and Lauren. Yeah, he needs workout
equipment. We need some, some, some, you
know, some doctors and nurses. Yeah, some prosthetics.
Be a surgeon. There, who has no ethics and
goes, yeah, I'll open you up somebody.
'S got some really cool new way of doing things that just yeah,
yeah. Who knows, but that's reach out
to him. Was to try and.
Get there, I'm actually. Starting to work with this
nonprofit organization they're going to get me set up with a
dry suit that is custom fit tailored for me is bandy around
these areas to for some collection and then they're
going to 3D print me some fins and whatnot teach me how to swim
as independently as possible because at the moment I I spin
like a log in a log rolling well and he's.
Top heavy in the water so like when he floats, like even if he
has a normal life jacket on he goes bottom up like a bobber.
And so we have to. Like you know you.
Know floaties I have. For like babies in the bath
where it's just like 2 brown. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know, like the standard boat life jackets, those orange ones.
I pretty much have put one of those around his neck when he's
in the water. And even then he's still like
his bottom side still floats up. So he's just like, they're
laying in the water, like, because his bottom side comes up
and his head goes down. Oh, that's yeah.
As you said, that can't be good. And then if you let.
Me go I'll just spin literally like a log because my my one
arm. But so they're going to teach me
how to swim as independently as possible by also getting me set
up with, you know, like a fin or whatever on my arm.
Are you ever going to have a? Prosthetic for your arm, yes,
Yeah. So after the body prosthetic
with the company in Helena that we're working with currently,
they're gonna get me in our work on prosthetic.
We're just working on the body prosthetic first.
Yeah. And.
Eventually we will be. He'll be getting an Adam Lim's
arm, but they're still like in production.
What is that? It's so it's M.
Lim's it's this company down in San Francisco.
What they're doing is they're coming up with an arm that not
only has like 1000 more sensors than the regular prosthetic
arms, but you can have full movement of each finger.
Yeah, but by using your muscles and.
But also it restores sense of touch.
Yeah, it. Restores like 5% sense of touch
so you you can. Feel what you're picking up,
what you are asking, and. And because of like that mixed
with the independent control of the digits, like like you could
pick up a cherry tomato with it and squeeze it OK without like
breaking it, you know, like that's how much it gives you
control of like you would pick up a tomato and give it a little
squeeze and be able to control that when it's like.
Freezing and then it. It's it's the, the goal is like
to restore. Like I think it was like 25%
sense of touch. The atom limbs is a good example
of what I was talking about earlier with our social media
and the reach and stuff, because we actually discovered atom
limbs. We saw a TikTok about them and
like this, you know, and we're like, Oh my gosh, that's crazy.
And so like we like, was it the girl that?
Got her arm lost by a shark I know.
Because I I. I think we it.
Was it was just like a video from the company of like a guy
testing it out or something. OK, but then we like looked into
this arm and we were like, Oh my like that's really amazing.
And then we like we like shared the video and we're like, this
would be so sick. And then all of our subscribers
like went to Adam Slims pages and were like tagging us and
like, check these guys out, check these guys out like they
could use this arm. And then the CEO, Tyler Hayes,
he ended up like actually like personally reaching out to us
and being like come tour, like come, you can come mess around
with like the beta product like and he was like pretty much like
was like once this is on the line for like recreation, like
for every day people and it's not in like testing anymore.
Like you guys are going to be one of the first to get it like
all of this. That's awesome.
And that must have made you. Feel good, huh?
Yeah, it. Made me cry, honestly, when when
it first happened, just because that was like 5.
That was initially right after we got home.
Yeah, it was like 4. Years ago, but the CEO.
Created like a whole TikTok video and everything.
Yeah, he was. Really.
Cool, he was going. To.
Do yeah, it was. It was pretty, pretty cool
stuff. That's so cool contact.
So like, you know, when the time comes and stuff and we we keep
meaning to get down there because he told us like, what if
we come down like we can get a tour and whatnot.
But so that's like, you know, that's an exciting thing that's
going to be happening eventually that they're just still never
been able to experience without the the real social media.
Yeah, but they're they're still in development.
And yeah. For it to.
Come off the line and we still need.
An arm at speed time. And in the meantime, yeah, I So
what happened? So I was stuck bed bound for
like 10 months with two kidney stones that would not pass.
And they couldn't just break them because they were behind my
spine. And the machine doesn't go
through bone like that. Oh my gosh.
And so. I was stuck bed bound for 10
months with an extra tube in my kidney because this body
prosthetic doesn't allow for an extra tube in my kidney.
And so I wasn't able to sit up at all for 10 months.
So I was stuck bed bound for 10 months and that's that 10 months
is what kind of kicked me in the ass to, you know, get up and
start. That 10 months of not doing
anything, not being able to do anything, made me realize that
the whole past four or five years I had just been existing
and not living. Wow.
And so it gotten a little. Like stagnant at that point.
Yeah, Yeah. And.
So it made me start to push for things that I want to happen or
need to happen in my life that I was just waiting, hoping that
they would just come along and happen.
I don't know why. And instead it made.
You take charge and yeah, I mean.
The that 10 months made me realize that I needed to start
taking charge and advocating for myself and really start getting
the ball rolling these different things myself if I want them to
happen. And so like that's why the body
prosthetics happening, the arm prosthetic we're working on
getting caregivers. We're, we're, we're looking for
a handicap accessible vehicle, preferably a Yukon XL or yeah,
that's. Yeah, because it was.
There was only out of the things that weren't transit vans, there
was only two that had all-wheel or 4 wheel drive options.
And the only one that wasn't a massive truck that I'm not
driving anywhere was the Yukon XL.
So. And then also getting like a, an
occupational therapist to come to my home and do a home
evaluation on this needs modified to, you know, like say
like the cabinets and cupboards and whatnot in our kitchen could
use pull out shelving and whatnot.
That way I could then access it myself and I could start cooking
meals myself in the kitchen and whatnot.
Just a lot of work. To gain certain independences
back, yeah. And just really working on
everything and anything I can and any facet whatsoever that
gets me any independence back whatsoever.
Whether yeah would be physical therapy, occupational therapy.
I hope people are listening. They got a.
Nice long list of things that I think you guys deserve.
But that's for sure that nonprofit organization is making
the the dry suit, getting me 3D to like fins or whatever, help
it kind of teach me how to swim as independently as possible.
But and then their main goal is to get me scuba diving because
that's what they do is they get people with mental and physical
disabilities, not swords scuba diving.
And so they're going to teach me how to scuba dive and where
that's going to happen at the crater near Salt Lake City,
which apparently is this like geothermal spring that's like
surrounded by limestone and it stays like 90 to 100° all year
long. And it's just this beautiful,
beautiful underwater, like cave area.
It's just amazing to go to. And so I'm super excited for it.
It should be happening this summer.
Actually. Got a phone call with the whole
team of people, Duke Medical University, Mayo Clinic, and the
people from the organization itself.
They all want to have a Zoom call together to talk about next
steps. That's awesome.
Yeah, it'll. Be really cool for him.
That'll be totally awesome. I'm not.
He's not. Part Dating.
At it I have. A deep, deep, deep fear of death
by any type of suffocation. Drowning is on that list.
You won't catch me ever trying to scuba dive.
No, thank you. I'll go swim.
I'll go swimming. But.
I did just ski not too long ago for the first time in my life.
Wait, what? I went, yeah, I went skiing for
the first time in my so he was. Like this, like toboggan esque.
It was like all the ski sled. Yeah.
And then volunteered. The guy who runs Eagle Mount is
the the nonprofit that does it. But pretty much Lauren was
fitted for this ski sled and then he it was connected via
like a rope to skier or a snowboarder volunteers for the
How was that the program fun? Fun dude.
It took me like 7-8, eight runs down showdown down the mountain
where near our hometown, and it was the first time since the
accident that I've actually like screamed with joy.
And he was. Butterflies.
My stomach type feeling, you know, because they took me off
some jumps and stuff too. And so you know what I'm talking
about. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
It was awesome. First time I have experienced
that since the accident. So it was, it was, it was a
great experience. It was.
Yeah, it was. Really.
All right, take him skiing. Too.
And he's a ski trip, folks. That and my.
Brother actually came along and partook in that along with my
mother too, with my mother-in-law, Yeah.
So it was a nice, nice little. Family good together.
Family spending time. Yeah, yeah.
Well, I appreciate you guys coming out, making the truck out
here. This is brand new.
For us, so this is exciting. This is You're welcome back.
Anytime. Awesome.
I'm going to make that drive again.
Man, that was a lot, all right. Thanks you guys.
Yeah, thank you. Appreciate it.
Thank. You.