Michael Winters Sr. Donation Support

Wednesday June 4, 2025, my family and I were awoke in our sleep with the most dreading phone call. My grandfather Michael Winters Sr, who I know as dad, was in an accident involving his work tractor-trailer. From speculations we were informed the brakes failed him and the truck crushed his left side. It is only by miracle and God's hands on each and every medical person that came in contact with him, that he made it to the hospital alive.

Anyone that knows my dad, knows he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. I have never met anyone so selfless. He is a fighter and we will not leave his side. Due to my grandmother's health conditions my dad has been the soul provider. I am creating this to help relieve some stress on her. We have faith in God's healing abilities and that is what we continue to hold on to. The future still holds many what ifs and living and medical expenses. I ask that if you can not give financially that you still keep the prayers coming. Our God is an awesome God and he has not, and will not leave us, no matter the circumstances, through it all.

Here are my on going Facebook updates I have posted for family and friends:

Wednesday June 4, 2025:

1:00pm

We just heard from the doctor. She said they are still trying to stop the internal bleeding. They had him in the OR but his heart stopped for 5 mins and they had to restart it. His abdomen was filling with blood and he was unable to breathe so they had to open it up to relieve the pressure on his diaphragm. They are in the OR again trying to fix the veins because of the bleeding. They had to choose life over limb so they’re going to have to amputate the left leg. Right now she said it’s 50/50.

3:00pm

Doctor came in and said they amputated the left leg but depending on how much muscle is dead they might have to amputate more later on. They packed his pelvis and have a bar and pins holding it together. He’s gone through a lot of blood so they are trying to get it to pack and clot. They said because his heart stopped it could have affected the brain but it’s a good sign he’s trying to pull at the tubes. He’s not fully alert knowing what’s going on though because he’s heavily sedated. They said they’re just taking it minute by minute. He will need several surgeries to repair all the damage.

3:30pm

Got to go back and see and talk to him.

He’s not alert but I know he can hear us.

9:30pm

We just got to go back after 4 hours of sitting and waiting. They said they got him stable. He doesn’t need anymore blood transfusions, his blood pressure is good, they had to paralyze him because he was trying to grab the ventilator to breathe for himself, which was a good sign so they cut back on it a bit. He has several fractures so they keep doing xrays. As of right now they’re just keeping him comfortable and watching things overnight. They are letting 3 people in at a time to see him now. Our plan is to let him rest for the night because he was moving his eyelids/eyebrows when being talked to. They don’t want him all stirred up.

Thursday June 5, 2025:

10:00am

He is still stable and doing even better on the vent. The doctor said his lungs look a lot better today too. They are going to continue to let him rest today. Tomorrow as early as 7am they may be going back in for surgery. Dr said she’s going to check with the others to come up with a plan for the rest of his leg and pelvis. He did have to have another blood transfusion over night but that’s just from the pelvis and leg draining. Still has a long road ahead but they did say they were going to slowly take him off paralysis so he would be more alert. They will monitor that too, to see how he handles it.

Nan stayed in his room last night and my mom in her car outside so they’re home getting showers and resting for now. He raises his eyebrows and his mouth twitches when we talk to him so he knows he’s not alone and someone is always by his side.

2:30pm

They took dad off paralysis. He is alert now, shaking his head yes and no, raising his eyebrows, trying to talk (tube is still in), and giving thumbs up. We got to see him and nan asked him if he wanted to rest and he shook his head yes, so that’s what he’s doing now.

A doctor came in and said his CK levels are high. He worries about his kidneys but as of right now he said they look miraculous. However, they could start to deteriorate so he wants to talk to the team about possibly starting him on dialysis now so the machine can work for his kidneys. He is also waiting for results on his liver. He said all of his organs are likely to take a hit after all the trauma he’s endured but that he’s not in liver failure by any means.

Everyone we spoke to has talked about what a miracle it is that he is still alive. Him being alert is a good sign but we still have a very long way to go and many more surgeries. They said if he had been sent to any other hospital he wouldn’t have survived. That the timing was good because all the teams were available for his specific needs. He is strong and a fighter. We are holding onto our faith and it is a miracle that he is even still alive and with us. We were told it’s one of the worst pelvis injuries they’ve ever seen.

Friday June 6, 2025:

10:00am

Dad had a great night and was still able to respond and communicate with everyone. This morning at 7am he went in for another surgery. The Dr came out and said they didn’t see anymore bleeding and were able to close parts of the abdomen? Also, he has a wound vac. The pelvis still has a rod and from my understanding parts of his pelvis or abdomen are still open. He will be back there for another 30 mins while orthopedics clean and dress the leg. They don’t have any plans to do anything else with it today. They plan to speak more about the kidney dialysis because they are wanting to do that. We’re not sure when they’ll make the decision to go back and start that. He’s had over 100 units of blood and they’re expecting he will need more. This time they will allow him to come out of paralysis on his own but it will more than likely take all day for anesthesia to wear off. Things are progressing though. We’re not out of the woods but taking it step by step. I will add she did mention the spleen, liver, and everything else she saw before closing looked great.

Saturday June 7, 2025:

2:30pm

Dad had a good night. He is alert today and communicating. He was moving his mouth around and the nurse asked if he was thirsty. He shook his head yes. She has been giving him a couple sponges of water every so often. They’ve also started him on food so that will help with healing too. She said the abdomen they were able to close but the pelvis is still open and packed, with the rod holding it all together. Monday or Tuesday they are thinking he will be back in the OR for that. They are about to take him back for a scan now to take a look at it. His liver is doing good. The kidneys have gotten better so they’re choosing to wait on kidney dialysis. I misunderstood before about his lower spine. He has 4 fractures, not 16. Those will heal on their own. We got great news about his left leg. It is showing blood flow now and our hope is that he won’t have to have more amputated. That will be beneficial for the future when he’s able to get a prosthetic.

Sunday June 8, 2025:

4:00pm

Dad has a fever so they did some tests to see if there’s an infection somewhere. It could take 24-48 hours to come back. He’s already getting an antibiotic but knowing the exact cause, they can give him one for that specific infection, if there is one. We are praying there isn’t and that it’s just his body reacting to everything that has gone on. There’s a slight chance it could be from his arm though. They’ve put it back into place twice but noticed earlier today that the bone was showing, they took him back again to try to get it put back. (Thankfully tho he didn’t feel that it was popped back out when they asked if he knew.) However, they weren’t able to get it back into place this time. Their plan is to try again Monday or Tuesday when he goes back into the OR for his pelvis and leg. If not, it’s looking like surgery for the arm. A positive note, his kidneys and liver have improved. Right now kidney dialysis is off the table! Hallelujah!

Monday June 9, 2025:

7:00am

Dad is back in surgery today for the arm, pelvis, and leg. They said it could take 3-4 hours. I will update again when he’s out.

12:30pm

They were able to put his left arm back in place and have it in a sling because it can easily be dislocated again so they’re going to watch it closely. The left hand they cleaned out and said eventually they will have to do a skin graph for because of the crush burn. They were able to fix the right femur/hip fracture. The left amputated leg they cleaned out and took some more bone from. Their hope is still that they won’t have to amputate higher, to the hip. That way he is able to get a prosthetic. However, the muscle is still not looking the best so they’re going to have to revisit it. The pelvis they cleaned up today but plan to go back in tomorrow or Thursday to hopefully close it up. He tolerated the anesthesia just fine and is going to be pretty sedated the rest of the day. Another surgery down with positive results! There’s a long road ahead but one step at a time! You’ve got this dad! Michael Winters Sr. ❤️ ❤️