#JoshWillaertStrong

June 1 - Message from Josh:

Dear family and friends,

I’ve been wanting to reach out to everyone individually to express my love and appreciation, but goodness has it caused me lots of emotions. I will be reaching out to everyone separately, but it will take me some time. Having a traumatic brain injury has definitely made me think about life in a way that I cannot express. I’ve experienced some of my biggest lows and with everyone’s prayers and support, I have seen some of my biggest highs. I’m finally at a level where I can talk the talk and walk the walk, however I still have a long road of recovery ahead. I cannot express how much you all mean to me in this brief paragraph, but I surly wouldn’t be here without the life saving acts of my amazing friends Craig Savo, Bruce Savo, Kenneth Savo and Gabe Davis. Needless to say it has been a very wild ride the last 5 weeks! I’ve been waiting to have my mama Mari Willaert, brother Joe Willaert, and sister Xe'Anna Willaert come visit me in Alaska on a special occasion, but unfortunately they had to come to Anchorage, AK to visit me in the hospital on life support. Family has been my everything and it goes to show we’re a very close knit crew. My family has been by my side ensuring that I am receiving the best care throughout this medical journey, especially my mom who hasn't left my side.

Unfortunately, going subsistence hunting on snowmobiles took a wild turn as the trail I took resulted in a very serious accident. I know their were many more people involved in my immediate care, but my memory had been limited and is getting better daily. For those who are unmentioned, I apologize and send nothing but love and gratitude. If it weren't for those three Savo brothers and Gabe Davis, this message likely wouldn’t have happened, therefore my respect and love goes out to them very strongly.

From the bottom to the top of my heart, I want to send my appreciation, recognition, and love to all that have followed and supported my recovery. I want to thank everyone so, so, so much! I simply cannot express my gratitude. Every call, message, card and all that is in between have given me nothing but happy healing vibes. I know that I've overly expressed my love to everyone, but once again, I truly do mean it when I say, I love you all. Through this injury, I have learned that life is very fragile - take your time, life isn't a race and hug your loved ones even tighter.

God is great!

Much love - I'll be shinning soon,

Joshie Bear

#willaertstrong

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May 23 - Update from Mary, Josh’s mom:

Josh is back home in MN! He is continuing to get better every day. We have a busy near future ahead of us with many different appointments. Josh is in a state of mind where he is getting better at advocating for himself and his needs, which is wonderful.

All of us are so thankful for all the love, prayers and out reach! We will update accordingly!

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May 18 - Update from Mary, Josh’s Mom:

Almost 1 month since the accident. This past week, Josh was moved to a specialty hospital in Anchorage for temporary rehabilitation until he is fly ready, so that we can get him back to the lower 48 to receive more specific TBI rehab. He is continuing to get better each and every day!

Joshs staples are all out! His eye is still trying to heal. He has been experiencing some double vision and he unexpectedly has lost hearing in his left ear. We are currently waiting to hear back from his specialists regarding these two problems.

Josh is and has been able to communicate with many family members and friends when he is at his best. However on the flip side he also has real lows and heartbreaking pain. Which is caused by to much stimulation.

The doctors encourage family and friends to be apart of his healing process but wanted me to stress that when communicating with him, to keep it brief and stress free.

Josh is overwhelmed and grateful of all the love, and prayers sent from everyone.

He is wanting to reach out to everyone that calls, texts or messages him, however he is needing to take this slowly to prevent overstimulation because, well Josh wants to answer every call, text or message. It has been advised by this facility that it is best not to reach out to Josh between 7pm and 9am (Alaska time).

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May 12 - Semi update from Josh’s Aunt Terrie:

Hi Everyone. From the information I’ve gathered over the last few days, it’s sounds like Josh is continuing to make good progress. Mari will be able to update you all soon with further details. Thank you again for all your continued thoughts, prayers & gifts for Josh. I know that Josh and his family are sincerely grateful. Love you all. ❤️

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May 7 - Update from Josh’s mom, Mary:

We really want to thank everyone for all the outreach, support, prayers, and love sent our way!

God has given us strength to get through this even though our heart feels otherwise.

As of right now, Josh has not yet been cleared to go on to the next stage of his recovery, which will take place at a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) neurorehabilitation facility. Josh has been making significant progress, better than expected. His care team have come to love his charismatic, charming, flirty, and even jokester personality. A happy medium regarding pain management is still in the works, so that he can participate in his recovery regimen to his full potential, without being in a heavily-medicated state.

Josh developed an pneumocephalus, which is an air pocket within the skull, behind his eye. Where his orbit reconstruction took place. Thus, contributing to the severity of his pain. This is being monitored.

Josh has been participating in all tasks and activities with eagerness. His cognition seems to be improving as well as his ability to articulate. This will take time.

The Neurosurgeon is very impressed with Josh's current status and is helping to advocate on getting him to a proper TBI neurorehabilitation facility. Whereas we are starting the process of dealing with insurance dictation and availability.

Continued prayers are appreciated!

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May 2 - Update from Brother, Joe:

It's been hard to make any sense of Josh's horrible accident. It's crazy to believe it has already been 9 days when all of us got the tragic call or message. I squeezed him tight on Sunday evening and told him I'll call him everyday; that I needed to get home to see my girls. It's been incredible to watch Josh's body heal and his heart stay so full this past week. He has made us cry and smile each day. His mind and brain are broken right now but little bits of Josh are shining through. He talks about home, both MN and AK, he talks about his family and friends, fishing, hunting, and of course work. Josh is in great hands. The medical staff continue to be impressed with his recovery but they remind us that his injuries take a lot of time to heal. He is blessed to have momma making him homemade soup and Zee insuring that his nurses are giving him the best of care. Josh has begun therapy in respected areas of speech, physical, and occupational. It is very important for Josh to participate in these sessions to get him transferred to a rehabilitation facility as soon as possible. These sessions are very demanding of Josh’s energy, so his rest is very important. We are trying reduce any extra brain stimulation in his room, that includes limiting his visitors and phone calls. Please know in time, Josh will love to hear and see all of you. We are working with his doctors and case managers to make sure Josh goes to the best possible facility for his care. His pain is becoming more manageable and his medical team has started him on a steroids and other medications to help with inflammation and brain function. My mom, zee, and I are so thankful for everyone’s support. I’m especially thankful for Madelyn and Dorothy, supporting me while I was away. We will do our best to get more updates out, but at this time Josh just needs rest, moms cooking, Zee’s hand, therapy, and prayers.

“Wrestling one another is often brothers' excuse to hug one another”

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April 30 -Update from Madelyn:

Day 6 since Josh’s accident and it has been a tough day. Not only for Josh, but for Mari, Joe and Zee as well. The reality and depth of his brain injury is starting to set in. Josh has transferred to the neurology unit, he has highs and lows but ultimately has a long road of rehabilitation ahead. Physically Josh’s body continues to heal and it is great to see his strength. With assistance Josh was able to get up and walk around. Josh’s care team is still assessing his plans for rehabilitation and where he will be able to get the best possible care.

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April 28 - Update from Madelyn:

Josh Willaert, A man of many titles. Brother, Son, Cousin, Business Owner, Friend, Hunter, Wrester, Outdoorsman, Farmer, Fisherman, Uncle, but most importantly he is a fighter. As Josh continues on this road of recovery he is a fighter though the hardest times and seems to be in good spirts. Josh’s humor and personality is showing with his delirium. He remains in the ICU, but the care team plans to transition him to the neurology unit within the next 24 hours. His short term memory remains especially foggy, but he is becoming more alert. He is communicating on his own more, and had a chance to make a couple of brief phone calls with family and friends. He continues to transition to the chair a couple of times throughout the day. Josh is on a soft food diet which he does not find very appealing (but let’s be honest who would) so encouraging him to eat more has been a daily goal. Although there have been some impressive signs of improvement Josh still has a long road of recovery ahead.

Thank you again to everyone that has called and texted expressing your love and support for Josh during this time. We are so grateful for each and every one of you. It takes a village.

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April 27 - Update from Madelyn:

Strong as an OX! As long as I have known Josh that is one way Joe has always described him. Well today that shined through when with assistance Josh made it out of bed to sit in the chair. This is a huge step in his recovery not only physically, but for his brain development. The Doctors have been extremely impressed with his strength. The primary concern in this step of his recovery is his safety and impulsiveness. We all know how stubbornly persistent Josh can be and with a Traumatic Brain Injury those traits are more predominant. Taking it slowly is extremely important. At this point Josh remains in the ICU with pretty heavy doses of pain medication. His memory is foggy, but he is showing optimistic signs that with time he will be more alert and aware. He is seeing a speech therapist, physical therapist, and occupational therapist to assist in these steps.

His care team is still assessing what his next steps look like, and those plans will continue to change depending on Josh's development. However, based on his current state there is potential for him to transition out of the ICU sometime next week. From there he will need multiple weeks of rehabilitation which will be in Alaska. Once Josh is cleared from rehabilitation our goal would be for him to be back in Minnesota where he can have more support from friends and family sometime early this summer.

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April 27

THANK YOU to everyone that has donated from the smallest amounts to the largest! These gifts are blessings that will be put to good use for Josh! We are blown away by the tremendous love and support from all his family & friends! I increased his goal amount again!!!!! THANK YOU!!!! Please know that Josh and his entire family appreciates each of YOU! We love you all!

Update from Joe coming soon.

Sincerely,

Josh’s Aunt Terrie ❤️

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April 26 - Update from Josh's brother:

An update with a gasp of fresh air! Joshua is currently breathing on his own. It only took 8 other medical personnel to hold him down as they removed his intubation tube; he still has his unbelievable strength. He has a bit of confusion, but he still knows his name. As expected, he is in a lot of pain. Eating is the only goal for Josh today. Hopefully this afternoon he’ll be sipping on some soup! We continue to let Josh know how much love and support he has; he is truly blessed. Thank you everyone!

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April 26

THANK YOU so very much for the outpouring of love! Josh will be so moved by all the support! His family is beyond grateful!

I am so appreciative for God's miracles. The love that He has placed in all of YOU is so amazing and infectious! It’s the absolute best healing energy anyone could ask for. Please continue to keep Josh in your prayers for pain relief, healing, and strength.

I will post the latest update from his brother in just a few minutes.

Sincerely,

Josh’s Aunt Terrie

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On Sunday, April 23, my nephew, Josh Willaert, was hunting in a remote part of Alaska and had a tragic snowmobile accident. He suffered serious head trauma, including a frontal skull fracture and 20+ fractures to his face.

The hunting party that Josh was with responded with a sense of urgency to evacuate him quickly to the Dillingham Hospital in which he was then airlifted to Providence Hospital in Anchorage.

He has had two surgeries. Yesterday, April 24, he had his first surgery. It consisted of the removal of depressed bone fragments to relieve pressure of the brain. Today, April 25th, he had his second surgery to correct and repair the right orbital eye socket and skull by using titanium plates and hardware.

Josh’s medical team lowered his sedation level to test for brain function earlier today. Josh unexpectedly removed his tubes. It was a relief and sheer happiness for his mom and siblings to hear his voice and see him breathing on his own. He knew his name, recognized his mom and was responsive to his medical team. I’m sure they celebrated this milestone with tears of joy. It’s Josh’s best interest that he continues to rest as he prepares for the tough battles ahead. He has been sedated and intubated again to allow his body and brain to heal. He is in stable condition and doctors are continuing to be optimistic.

I’ve heard from several people who asked me to consider putting together a fundraiser to help with Josh’s recovery, rehabilitation along with his mom and his sibling’s travel, hotel and food expenses.

Let’s all rally together and help ease the burden and offset some of these expenses for Josh and his family.

If you’re not in a position to help financially, no worries at all, we welcome prayers too! ❤️

Godspeed to our fun-loving, charismatic and adored Joshua Willaert.

Sincerely,

Josh’s Aunt Terrie ❤️