Joe Reiter’s Road to Recovery

Hello, my name is Laura Reiter, and for those who don’t know me, I’m one of Joe Reiter’s five siblings. I’m writing this on behalf of Joe, and my parents, Tim and Jeanne Reiter.

On May 18, 2023, my brother was taking his usual route to work in Milwaukee when he was in an accident on his motorcycle. He was rushed to the nearest Level 1 trauma hospital in the area. By the time our family found out, Joe was being taken into emergency surgery to stop the bleeding in his chest. At this point, all we knew was that all the ribs on Joe’s right side were broken, his lungs bleeding, a bleed on his brain and he had a severe spine injury. Luckily, he was wearing his full-face helmet like he always does.

Our parents left for Milwaukee within an hour or so after receiving the call. Joe came out of surgery successfully and they were confident the bleeding was stopped, but a part of his lung was so badly damaged that they removed it.

The next day, the five of us siblings made the 6 1/2 hour drive to Milwaukee to see our brother. Joe was fighting hard. We could see it and feel it. He’s always been our “miracle boy,” as our brother Paul puts it, and we knew he wasn’t giving up.

On Sunday, May 21st, Joe’s oxygen dropped and he was put back on a ventilator and sedated; he had contracted pneumonia. It took 6 long days before he could come off the ventilator, but was still not quite strong enough to undergo the crucial spine surgery he needed to have. Being that he had to be flat on his back, it made it incredibly difficult for his lungs to heal, and his fragile body was working so hard to fight off the infection. A few more days went by, the fever and pneumonia had cleared up and the doctors felt he was ready for surgery. The spine surgery went according to plan. He had his spine fused from T3-L5 (which is a pretty large portion of your spine), along with all the hardware to go with it. He has very slowly and steadily been making progress, however, he has no feeling from the waist down.

On June 12th, Joe was moved to the inpatient Rehab facility at Froedtert in Milwaukee, where he is receiving physical, occupational, speech and mental health therapies. He is still in a considerable amount of pain from the broken ribs, struggles to breathe and of course is learning about life in a wheelchair.

If you know my family, you know that Joe and my parents are not ones to ask for help. However, the extent of Joe’s injuries and treatments, along with his lifestyle changes are….sizable. Our mom hasn’t left his side since she arrived in Milwaukee, and dad is going back and forth so he can work during the week and see him and mom on the weekend. Our parents have been under immense stress, as you can imagine, seeing their son suffer and fight for his life, navigating the legal and financial side of things and all other logistics that come along with it. But the outpouring of love and support that Joe and my parents have received is truly overwhelming.

Many have asked what they can do, and this is where we ask for your help:

To say Joe loves Milwaukee and his career as a mechanical engineer for Milwaukee Tool is an understatement. We are going to be moving him back home, to Michigan, in July, while he rehabilitates with the help of family. Leaving the life that he’s built in Milwaukee over the past 6 years is heartbreaking for him to say the least, but also means he won’t be able to work for some time. We are full of hope and faith that one day he’ll be able to enjoy doing the things he loves to do again.

Any small amount that you’re willing to donate means the world and will go directly to Joe. All funds raised will help start to cover the costs associated with his recover, equipment and change of lifestyle.

On behalf of my brother, parents and entire family, thank you for the continued prayers, love and support.