On March 15th, 2026, Austan Lee was on his way to church when someone pulled out in front of him while on his motorcycle. He sustained severe injuries including a shattered pelvis and hip socket, broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a broken wrist, and an incredibly large perineal wound which caused them to do a hopefully temporary colostomy. His right foot is still numb and he has no control over it, we hope it’s nerve damage and will heal with time but we’ve been given no definitive answer. He had an external fixator (metal pins and bars going from outside the skin down to the bone) holding his pelvis in place for three months meaning that he was non-weight bearing for that entire time as well. We stayed at UAB in Birmingham for an entire month before getting sent home in April.
Since being home, Austan has made wonderful progress, he had the external fixator removed in June and the cast on his wrist removed in July, he was also able to start Physical Therapy in July now that he was cleared to be weight bearing. He is able to get around some at the house with a walker but is still primarily using the wheelchair when we go anywhere. His balance and overall strength has improved a lot, he is not struggling as much to stand or transfer and luckily this means he has regained some independence however, with physical therapy three times a week and other appointments still happening somewhat frequently my availability for working is not exactly ideal meaning it will be difficult for me to find a job now that I am even able to apply for them.
We are incredibly appreciative for everyone who has helped and given to us already, we are just asking for a bit more help until we can fully get back on our feet. Thank you all 💗
