The man who was cut in half by a forklift has made a devastating confession about his life since the accident.
He has opened up about the profound struggles he faces six years after the life-changing accident, revealing painful truths about isolation, friendship, and finding purpose.
Loren Schauers was just 19 years old when the forklift he was driving veered off a bridge in Montana in September 2019, plummeting over 50 feet to the ground.
The devastating accident resulted in doctors performing a hemicorporectomy – a rare procedure that removed the lower half of his body, his pelvis, and half of one arm.
Now 25, Schauers has made a heartbreaking admission about his life in the years since.
During a YouTube video with his wife Sabia, Schauers addressed how his friendships changed after the accident.
When asked if friends still treat him the same way, he admitted feeling ‘a little disappointed’ by some who have ‘totally reverted and have been reclusive.’
“A couple of friends came out of the woodworks and have been really supportive, [others] totally reverted,” Sabia added.
Schauers’ response was both resigned and touching: “But it’s whatever to me, you know, I got Sabia, that’s all I need.”
Perhaps even more poignant is Schauers’ ongoing struggle to find his place in the world. Six years after the accident, he’s still searching for direction.
“I really haven’t found my niche yet of what I want to do and what I can do and what my next step in life’s going to be,” he shared in his recent anniversary video. “I’ve honestly been in this stagnant stasis ever since the accident.”
Before the accident, Schauers had clear plans: work in construction, learn various trades, and build a career with his hands. That future was taken from him in an instant.
“My plan was to work construction and get a labor job and get some trades under my belt, be a jack of all trades, and work construction my entire life,” he explained.
“So for the past 6 years, I’ve just dabbled in multiple different ideas, real estate, gaming, uh the YouTube… just really struggling to find my niche.”
Adding to his struggles is the complex dynamic of being entirely dependent on his wife, who serves as both his partner and primary caregiver.
“It’s really, really difficult for me,” Schauers admitted. “To this day, I still struggle with asking for the most basic things like help brushing my teeth because it’s just that part of independence as a man that I don’t know, I just can’t get away from.”
He described feeling at odds with his upbringing: “I feel that I’m the one that should be leading or protecting her and doing these things for her and instead she’s having to do the protecting, the leading and everything for me. And to me, that is not how I grew up in my mindset.”
During low points, particularly during a 10-month period when kidney stones left him bedridden, Schauers has grappled with feeling ‘completely useless’ and like a ‘strain’ on everyone around him.
Despite these struggles, Schauers’ relationship with Sabia has remained strong. The couple, who had been together for about a year when the accident occurred, recently marked their six-year anniversary since that fateful day.
“6 years ago, Sabia unconditionally chose to take on that role as my caregiver, not knowing what she got herself into, but knowing that her love for me would be strong enough to face any hurdle that life would throw our way,” Schauers said.
Sabia has been equally forthright about the challenges, including her own caregiver burnout and the difficulty of balancing being both a wife and a medical caregiver. But she’s also been clear about her commitment.
“If I didn’t want to be with him I wouldn’t be with him,” Sabia stated emphatically. “I’m here and I stayed and I continue to stay because I love Loren… the change in his body didn’t affect how I see him or how I love him.”
The couple are even looking toward the future, exploring options for starting a family through either a donor or adoption.
