Father’s Day 2025: Celebrating My Two Heroes in Nebraska

Every Father’s Day, I’m reminded of the two heroes who’ve shaped my life: my dad, the first responder who saved me, and my Heavenly Father, who guided my recovery. At 15, a head-on collision left me with a traumatic brain injury, in a coma for over two weeks. My father was on the scene in rural Nebraska, stabilizing my neck as I was pulled from the wreckage and rushed to the ambulance. That alone would make him a hero in any daughter’s eyes.

But months later, he did something even braver. As I struggled in a brain trauma rehab facility, relearning how to walk, eat, and brush my teeth, I hit rock bottom. Exhausted and defeated, I wanted to give up. That’s when Dad, my biggest cheerleader, told me he couldn’t make me walk. "This is between you and God," he said. Those words shook me. I’d been too proud to ask for divine help, but that night, staring at the ceiling of my room at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, I prayed.

The next day, I stood for the first time. Nearly three years later, I still don’t know why I had to endure that accident, but I’ve learned my story isn’t just mine—it’s a beacon for others. My Caring Bridge page, seen by 98,000 people, showed raw images of me in a hospital bed. At first, I was furious, but then I heard from strangers who found hope and faith through my struggle.

This spring, I went to prom with Carson, a friend from rehab who’s confined to a wheelchair. His spirit shines despite his challenges, and our friendship reminds me that connection is the key to healing. This summer, I’ll join 20,000 young people in New Orleans for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Youth Gathering, where my story might spark hope for kids facing their own traumas or mental health battles.

This Father’s Day, I’m grateful for my dad, who held me as a baby and as I was loaded into an ambulance, and for my Heavenly Father, who’s never left my side.