Love for the Learneds
Dear Friends and Family,
Many of you know Dave and Diane Learned’s daughter Annika was involved in a serious utility vehicle accident on a cross-country team building trip on Monday, August 9, 2021.
Annika was immediately tended to by her close, caring teammates forming a tourniquet to slow the rapid bleeding in her leg and even speaking with the paramedics on the phone to help them determine that she needed to be airlifted to the nearest hospital.
Since that day, Annika has been transferred to a University hospital in Wisconsin and has already had eight surgeries to repeatedly clean out her leg in preparation for a larger forthcoming surgery to repair her compound tibial fracture. She needs pins and rods and a skin graph to get her on the long road to recovery.
Despite her accident, Annika has a beautiful attitude says her dad, “Her telling of the story from day one has been, ‘Dad, my teammates have been incredible. They called the paramedics, they tied my leg with their own shirts, they immediately prayed for me; they cared for me in every way.’”
And yet, in God’s sovereignty they have spent the last two weeks with Annika at the hospital and anticipate several more. The expenses will be significant even with insurance. It is our hope to provide this opportunity to care generously for this family who has loved, served, and cared for so many of us through our church and other ways throughout the years.
If you’re able to contribute financially, it would be a blessing to them. If you’re able to join with us in praying faithfully for all of the Learneds and especially Annika and her medical team, it would be a tremendous blessing to them. They have three other girls at home also navigating life with their sister’s injury. All of them continue to hold fast to Scripture and the promises of our unfailing Lord all the while giving Him glory for who He is. Psalm 8:3-6, “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me!”
As the Lord provides abundantly through donors like you, anything above and beyond the Learned’s medical expenses will be donated to others in need of financial help or organizations that have helped them on their journey such as the Ronald McDonald House. On behalf of the Learneds, we are tremendously grateful for any contribution, but especially grateful for your continued prayers.
“The Lord has been so gracious to us, all we can say is that He’s carried us along.” (Dave)
If you’d like to receive updates on Annika’s progress, you can follow her story at Caring Bridge: