Joseph Salmon Medical Assistance Fund

Hey ya’ll. My name is Jess Axler. I am Joseph’s aunt, on my sisters side. Joe has been living with my sister since this summer and while living with her, I have found him to be a great kid with a bright future. Joseph loves the outdoors, working with his hands, hunting, fishing, loves family, loves his dog Nikita and football. He graduates from Okoboji in May 2024, with plans to play football for Simpson College while earning his degree in Engineering.

This morning, while sitting with my sister, she received a phone call from Joe’s best friend Brayden. From what we have been told, Joe was shot while hunting by Clemen’s pond. A helicopter picked him up from the scene of the accident and took him to Sioux Falls where he was rushed into surgery. At around 2:30pm my sister said that Joe is out of surgery. Surgeon said there are still two bb’s from the shotgun shell, that are too deep for them to go after so they kept him in a medically induced coma to aid his healing. On Sunday (10/22) they took Joe off sedation and he started showing small signs of being aware of his surroundings. Squeezing hands and fluttering his eyes. All donations going towards uncovered medical expenses and rehabilitation so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.