Aidan Brand, age 19, tragically paralyzed.
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Aidan Brand, age 19, of Pella, Iowa, was tragically paralyzed from the chest down as a result of a dirt bike accident on May 6. By the grace of God, Aidan’s life has been spared but also forever changed.
The Accident
Aidan’s mother, Wanda, writes on the day after…
"Yesterday was a day no parent would ever imagine, a day no 19 year old ever thought would happen. May 6, 2023, marks a day that changed Aidan's life forever and his family's lives. Aidan was riding dirt bike with friends on a cloudy Saturday afternoon. Excited to be doing what he loved to do. He was riding great, he said. We will never know exactly what happened but his friends and his father saw his dirt bike do cartwheels. It is likely that he was crushed by his bike. His spine and spinal cord were severed. The ambulance was called and they called a life flight helicopter that took him to Mercy 1 hospital in Des Moines. We were so, so thankful to hear he was alive and sustained no brain injury. We could not have prepared ourselves for the news that he will never walk again. Massive trauma, internal bleeding, blood pressure unstable are words that we couldn't get our minds around. A chest tube was inserted in his right and left side to drain fluid and air. Getting him comfortable was our next priority. We finally succeeded around 1:45 am. Sweet sleep finally came. Today will be a new adventure. I praise God that he spared our son's life. We are comforted knowing that God has a perfect plan for Aidan. We might never understand why but we trust that God will work this out for our good. We will take this one day at a time. One hour at a time. One minute at a time.”
Aidan’s Current Outlook and Abilities
Only a few hours after the accident, Aidan was informed by medical experts that he will not be able to walk again. Within that initial conversation of being told his new lot in life, he replied, “I am going to rock the Special Olympics" and “I guess I will become an engineer.”
Aidan’s life, faith, and amazing testimony to God's love in his life has already begun to affect the lives of his community in Pella, Iowa, but also family, friends, and a continually broadening community of prayer warriors across the country.
After a successful 6.5 hour surgery on May 8, the surgeon was able to not only spare the life of Aidan, but they were able to maintain the use of his arms and body function from his chest and up. This was the worst spinal injury the surgeon has seen in his 10 year tenure. The doctors removed the T7 vertebrae and set a metal cage in its place. They fused T2-T10 to provide support so that Aidan can sit up.
Short Term Financial Needs
•medical expenses
•adaptations of his family home to accommodate a wheelchair and his daily needs
•vehicle adaptations to allow him to be independent
•college funds- he will need to change his career path
•physical therapy
Long Term Financial Needs
There is almost no way to quantify what the long-term financial needs will be, but they will be substantial. According to Loyola University Health system it “costs between $320,000 and $985,000 to treat a spinal cord injury patient the first year and as much as $5 million during the patient's lifetime.” There is going to be a need for exercise, ongoing adaptations in his home(s) and vehicle(s), and the family will only discover more needs as they live each day in this new chapter. Caring for Aidan will reveal hidden costs over time. Realistically, they don’t know all of the expenses to care for him in his future because this is all new territory for them.
Apart from God's miraculous power, he could be paralyzed for the remainder of his life, yet he most definitely still has a very powerful story to write.
Funds collected will be used for short-term needs as well as helping to provide for his ongoing needs. This will help ensure Aidan has the financial resources to not only succeed as he recovers, but THRIVE towards his vocational goals and help minimize the long term costs associated with being a paraplegic.
Aidan’s condition meets the textbook definition of a disability; however, because he is only 19 years old, he has not worked long enough to be eligible for SSDI. Additionally, Aidan plans to become an engineer which could very well disqualify him from receiving SSDI.
Spiritual Needs
Prayer.
Aidan is in great spirits. Thank you for lifting up Aidan and his family in prayer!
Continue to pray for Aidan’s parents, Jason and Wanda, and his three sisters: Allison and fiancé Timothy, Kylie, and Audrey as they process this new reality. They all have felt loved and blessed by the power of prayer.
Pray for healing, for peace, for comfort, and for pain management.
Pray for God's light to shine in the hearts of all of those affected in even the darkest of moments.
Pray for miraculous healing.
Pray that God uses Aidan’s story to glorify His name.
Discouragement – lack of courage.
In the next weeks, months, years, and decades the devil will fuel lies in Aidan’s head about God. The devil’s goal with these lies in each one of us is to take our courage away. By turning our eyes away from the promises in the Bible he wants us to believe what we see with our physical eyes. How could a loving God allow something like this to happen? Why did this happen to me? If God truly loved me, wouldn’t He have prevented this from happening?
Encouragement.
Your donation will be a tangible means of encouragement to help Aidan when the devil lies to him. But also with the eyes of faith we see the way God treated His only begotten Son. His purpose was not to be cruel, but on the cross Jesus still said, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” However, it was through Jesus’ work on the cross that “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:15)
With the eyes of faith we have a peace that surpasses all understanding. God's ways and God's plans are higher than ours. Although Aidan’s current physical life may forever be changed, we pray that God will use this situation to draw us all even closer to Jesus.
Please consider supporting Aidan and his family as they boldly approach God's throne of grace, with confidence, in this heart-breaking and devastating time of need.
#fullsend Colossians 3:23 - “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”
Caring Bridge link to follow current updates:
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/aidanbrand?utm_source=DAS+Summary&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DAS+Summary+email&utm_content=Visit+the+site+to+view+all+the+activity
T-shirt Link for fundraising and support:
Fundraising team (3)
Jason Schuringa
Organizer
Pella, IA
Jason Brand
Beneficiary
Wanda Brand
Team member