Dodge Long ~ Help fill the BIG heart he had.

November 26th started like any other day. We got up, got Dakota off to school, everyday run-of-the-mill errands, and went to help a friend pack up some things. Dodge picked up Dakota from the bus stop, talked about the “guys night” they were going to have, laughed and joked. In the evening hours we decided that we needed to head home. Once we arrived home, we all had pumpkin pie in the kitchen and Dodge wanted to take his new snowmobile out to run some tests on it as he had just gotten it a few days prior. Dakota wanted to go and so Dodge decided to take his 9 year old son along for the ride. His future son-in-law was following in a truck so that if anything broke down they could tow it back. Things were going good, until they weren’t. Dodge had a medical emergency and went unconscious. As he slumped over his son, who was riding in front of him, he landed on the throttle causing the snow machine to accelerate. His son tried to push him off. His son tried to steer away. Dodge was just too big of a guy and his son was unable to move. Dodge and his son collided with a tree. They were both ejected from the snow machine. They were rushed to the hospital. His 9 year old son sustained some minor injuries and a concussion and was released. Dodge on the other hand had a more grim outcome. He had suffered lacerations to his face, a skull fracture, along with having massive brain injury. Although we tried to remain positive, it didn’t look good. They ran some tests and decided the next step was to life flight him to St. Vincent’s in Green Bay, WI. It was there that we were told, this is it for him. There’s no coming back. He would need the breathing machine for the rest of his life if, and that’s a big IF, he made it through the night. His vitals were stable, but he had almost zero reflexes. We sat by his bedside. We prayed. We cried. We laughed. We thought about everything we all have been through. After all, he has truly touched so many people in his life. We discussed organ donation as that was something he truly wanted to do. His father was an organ donor as well. In the early morning hours of November 27th we gathered around his bed and told him it was okay. He didn’t need to hold on anymore. We cried. We held him as he took his last breath and his heart stopped. God knew it was time. He had suffered enough and God needed heavy lifting done in Heaven. He had given us peace knowing he was no longer suffering. Nothing can undo the pain of losing a son, a brother, a father, or a fiancé. He is gone, gone to Heaven to look over us all. He is missed and loved by everyone that knew him.

This is such a difficult time during the holiday season to have to bury a loved one. An accident like this is unexpected. The family is looking for monetary assistance to help pay for his funeral costs and to start a trust for his son for when he grows up.