Good morning,
Many of you know (or have heard of me speak of) my dear, childhood friend Sonya Schuster. She and her family are in need of your prayers. Late on Saturday night, Sonya, her dad, two brothers, and sister-in-law were involved in a horrific car accident. Everyone survived, but some with significant injuries.
While driving back from a family friend's wedding, Mr. Schuster felt his blood sugar decreasing (he's suffered with severe diabetes since we were kids). Sonya handed him a snack to get his sugars up and he accidentally twitched the steering wheel, over-compensated and led the car off of the road, flipping it nine times, the length of a football field. Nathan (age 17) and Ryan (age 28) were thrown from the car as it rolled. Sonya was the first to get to each of her brothers to assess vitals. Upon arrival of the ambulances, Brittney (Ryan's wife) was rushed to Delnore (St. Charles), Ryan was brought to Mercy (Aurora) and Nathan was air-transferred to Good Samaritan (Des Plaines). Neither Mrs. Schuster nor Haley (Sonya's two-year-old niece) were in the accident. Sonya and Mr. Schuster are bruised, cut and swollen. Mr. Schuster is carrying the guilt of this accident on his heart.
Nathan is in the most severe of physical shape, but is slowly making improvements. He has a broken back (4th, 5th, 6th vertebrae), a broken hip and femur, a punctured lung and potential brain damage. He currently does not have feeling in his legs, but MRIs have concluded that his spinal cord is in tact - The first of many prayers to be answered. Hopefully he will regain sensation once the swelling goes down. He has and will continue to undergo numerous surgeries. My understanding is that both Ryan and Brittney will be released from the hospital either today or tomorrow. Ryan has broken two vertebrae in his back, but is mobile.
Please pray for the Schusters. As many of you know, Mrs. Schuster is in the late stages of Alzheimer's. Sonya has been a rock through this cruel experience - involved in every medical decision, taking on a motherly role to Nathan, caring for Mrs. Schuster at home, communicating updates etc. I've provided an update email below, written by Sonya the day before the accident. They need your prayers now more than ever.
Please pray for Nathan. He's a neat kid - Accepting of life experiences with his mother that no child/teenager should have to endure. He does it without even batting an eye. For example, I was lucky enough to be invited to a "Girl's Night" with Sonya's extended family when I was back in December. Upon getting back to the Schuster's house to drop off Mrs. Schuster, Nathan was waiting at the front door to immediately escort his mom to her room, prepare her for bed and get her to sleep. He's a strong kid - physically, intellectually and emotionally. No doubt that he will come out of this horrible experience, but please pray for the daily/hourly milestones ahead.
Sonya is a very religious person, something that I've always admired about her. In speaking about the acceptance of her mom's condition, she has told me that she can't imagine how she could survive this without faith. Yesterday, the day of the accident, was her 31st birthday. She asked that in lieu of acknowledging her birthday, we say a prayer for Nathan and his recovery.
At this point, there is nothing that we can do but to express our thoughts and prayers to Sonya and her family. Sonya draws strength from those around her - Even those that she hasn't seen in years or even those whom she's never been in direct contact with. Nathan Schuster
I've included a family picture of the Schuster kids. I want to bring your attention to the smiles, especially that of Haley Grace - The apple her of her "Tante Son's" eye.
I will keep you posted as I hear updates, but feel free to contact me should you have questions.
With love,
Colette
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