Seven years after the accident where Loren Schauers was cut in half by a forklift, his wife has issued a devastating health update.
Loren was just 19 when a forklift he was operating drove off a bridge in Montana in September 2019, plunging more than 50 feet.
The catastrophic fall led doctors to perform a hemicorporectomy, an extraordinarily rare surgery that removes the lower half of his body, as well as his pelvis, and part of one of his arms.
How the life-altering injury changed their relationship
Both Loren and his wife, Sabia, have been candid about life after his injury, and what the dynamic between the two of them has looked like.
As for others, he admitted he has felt ‘a little disappointed’ by those who became distant following the accident.
“A couple of friends came out of the woodwork and have been really supportive,” Sabia noted, adding that others ‘totally reverted.’
Speaking about his wife in a YouTube video, Loren added: “But it’s whatever to me. I’ve got Sabia – that’s all I need.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Loren Schauers (@loren.schauers)
He described feeling conflicted with how he was raised, saying he once believed he would be the one leading and protecting his partner.
“I feel like I’m supposed to be protecting her, doing things for her,” he said.
“Instead, she’s the one protecting and leading for me. That’s not how I grew up thinking life would be.”
Loren’s memory of the accident
Speaking of the day his life changed forever, he explained: “As the edge of the bridge collapsed and the forklift started to tip up, I unbuckled my seatbelt and went to jump out.
“I now know that was the wrong idea but it was just fight or flight.”
Recalling the devastating tragedy, he added: “The seatbelt ended up wrapping around my leg as I jumped out so I actually swung out instead and broke one of my ribs off the floorboard of the forklift.
“I tried staying on top of the forklift as much as I could as it rolled and then I was thrown from the forklift at the end of the hill once it finally landed.
“I was conscious the whole time. My eyes were wide open and I saw the forklift come down and land on my hips and my right forearm.”
Dreams of having a family put on hold
Loren has previously spoken about wanting children with Sabia through adoption or a donor. However, he now admits he does not see it happening.
“We would like to have a family of our own but given how much of a problem my care has been, I don’t really see it in the cards for us,” he said.
He added that bringing a child into their current situation would feel unfair: “It really wouldn’t be fair of us to bring a child or adopt a child in life and saddle them with a lifestyle like ours.”
Sabia issues a devastating health update
Just yesterday (February 12) Loren’s wife posted a picture of him in hospital, seven years on from the accident.
“Hi guys, we’ve been taking it easy for a couple of days but here is the latest update,” she posted on Facebook.
“We were supposed to go back to the Helena prosthetics place today, but it got postponed because not all parts had come in yet, bummer but that’s how life goes sometimes, they are working hard on it though, so it’ll be soon!”
But following the note, Sabia went onto announce that her husband had actually been hospitalized in recent hours, following an infection.
“On the downside, Loren’s last round of antibiotics seems to not have knocked out Loren’s latest C-diff infection,” she wrote.
“So we found ourselves making an unexpected trip to the hospital where he is currently chilling and being himself.
“We will keep you informed as always and we love and appreciate you all!”
