After being critically injured in a farming accident on June 23, senior Zack Roehl has made huge strides in his recovery and is hoping to be back at Harding in the spring.
“I think it’s mostly just prayer that kept me alive,” Roehl said. “There were three different times they told my family I wasn’t going to make it and somehow I made it through.”
Roehl suffered bruised lungs, initially had no feeling in his left leg below the knee, fractured every bone in his face and suffered other trauma. Now, Roehl is far from worried about his recovery
“Really, I’m doing fine,” Roehl said. “I’m still on a feeding tube even though now I can eat some stuff but every doctor thinks I’m going to make a full recovery.”
Roehl is currently going to see a speech therapist to improve his swallowing, and currently the only foods he can eat are pureed.
Other areas that Roehl is still struggling with include his vision and hearing.
“My eye is kind of stuck in place which is annoying but it’s not even a big deal compared to where I was a month ago,” Roehl said.
On July 10, Roehl was only able to walk about 20 feet without assistance, but is now walking several miles a day on trails near his home with his family. Roehl said that he has gained back much of his balance and endurance.
Roehl has surprised himself that in only nine weeks he has come so far.
“I talked to a guy who was in a motorcycle accident and it’s taken him eight years to recover, and here I am able to do all this in only nine weeks,” Roehl said. “People at church say, ‘you know you’re a miracle, right?’ And I don’t even know how to respond.”
Stay updated with Roehl’s continued recovery on his CarePages website, www.carepages.com/carepages/Pray4Zack.
