Hello friends of the Wahlquist family,

Johannes experienced a traumatic injury on August 3rd while spending time with friends on the Olympic Peninsula. An explosive detonated prematurely while Johannes was holding it, causing very severe damage to his left hand.

Johannes was quickly taken via ambulance by the emergency response team and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where his parents, Jon and Angela, were waiting for him. It was quickly determined by his care team that he would need surgery to repair as much of his hand as possible.

In addition to his hand, Johannes suffered cuts to his eye, shrapnel and burns to his chest and torso, as well as punctured eardrums from the explosion. He will be partially deaf for at least the next couple of months. His other injuries were checked, cleaned, and treated, and late last night he underwent hand surgery where the doctor had to amputate the tips of his thumb and middle finger as well as half of his pointer finger.

The family is in good spirits considering the shocking and unexpected events they just suffered, and they are all so thankful that Johannes will be okay and that his injuries were not even more severe. Johannes says it is “a miracle that I’m alive” and we are all so thankful to God for being with him and protecting him from further injury!

As many of you will know, Johannes is an avid football player and dedicated athlete as well as a gifted and skilled guitarist. While the injuries to his hand will certainly make these things more difficult, Johannes is determined to overcome the challenges.

Will you join us in praying for him as he navigates these new challenges? Pray for Jon, Angela, and Ali as they process this and become his caretakers for a while. Pray for the right doctors, specialists, and therapists to help give Johannes the best outcome possible! And above all, that they would experience the Lord’s peace during this trying time.

Angela and Jon are so grateful for the medical care he has received so far, but Johannes will have a long road ahead of him to full recovery. The family is unsure of exactly what that looks like, but it will definitely include much physical therapy for the hand as well as many unknown possibilities down the road such as consecutive surgeries, skin grafting, prosthetics, etc.

This page has been created to support the family as they take on some known bills such as ambulance, airlift, surgery, and hospital bills as well as anticipate some future unknown medical bills related to Johannes’s injury. Thank you for your love and support of the Wahlquist family during this scary and stressful time!