Optimism and Hope After Losing Dominant Hand

Update: September 25, 2020
Annette and David are beyond thankful for your gifts. They also have news for which they are very grateful and thank God for. The hospital benefited them with a grant that covers all but a few hundred dollars of Annette's 16-day, 5-surgery hospital stay!!!

They are still responsible for the helicopter ride from northern Minnesota to Minneapolis, and for some smaller bills and incidentals surrounding the loss of Annette's dominant hand.

So, the amount of assistance they need has been greatly reduced. With the generosity already shown, they are feeling positive and grateful and loved.  Annette is doing well, and is progressing nicely adjusting to her new situation. Her faith and sense of humor have served her well.

Again, they send a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who has already donated, and to anyone who can still provide some help.

The accident
On Saturday July 4, 2020, Annette Tyrrell (age 57) was riding in a Ranger ATV with her daughter and three grandchildren, when the vehicle tipped over on a gravel road. The other occupants received relatively minor injuries. Annette bore the brunt of the accident, and had to be air-lifted from northern Minnesota to HCMC.

Her injuries were so severe that the doctors had no choice but to amputate her right (dominant) hand to mid-forearm. Multiple surgeries were required to do the amputation, repair a broken elbow, and conduct a skin graft for the amputation site. She spent over two weeks in the hospital.

This accident will take some time to recover from, both physically and financially. It will take some time to adjust to life without the use of her dominant hand.

The medical expenses from this accident are astronomical. Annette and her husband David, long-time residents of Pine River (Minnesota), need your help.

Please make a donation -- no amount is too small, and together they add up!  Your support will be deeply and humbly appreciated.

About Annette and David
Annette has a wonderfully quirky sense of humor, an inspirationally positive attitude, and an absolute trust in God, whom she credits with keeping the others safe during the accident. He has given her the strength and confidence to face this new reality straight on, with laughter and wisdom.

Annette is well known in the region, having worked for Carl's Market, Pine River State Bank, Good Samaritan nursing home, and several area group homes for adults who are significantly developmentally disabled. David has also worked in the same area group homes for over twenty years, and the pair are beloved by the residents they serve. 

Annette and David will soon celebrate their 19th anniversary . Annette's hospitalization following the accident was the longest they've ever been apart, and it was a difficult time for them both. Due to COVID, visitors were not allowed, so they had to (im)patiently wait for enough healing to take place for Annette to be allowed to go home.

Annette, along with her husband David, work at area group homes. Some of the residents are non-verbal, and when Annette and David first began working there, they were told to expect no response from those particular residents. David brought his guitar to his overnight shifts, and played music. This simple gesture led to the opening up of at least one of the non-verbal residents, who loved the music and responded to its beauty.

This kind of connection is where both Annette and David shine with the residents, and the uncertain future for Annette's career is a source of concern.

They are also active in the Pequot Baptist Church. Immediately after the accident and before help arrived, Annette repeated the first two lines of the Lord's Prayer over and over. Despite the trauma of the situation, reciting those lines helped her to remain conscious throughout. Many other incidents that afternoon and since have reassured her that God had his angels looking out for her. She is being encouraged to write about this, and may share it at some point.

Over the years, an entire menagerie of animals have lived at their house. One of those animals was a tarantula named Spidey -- loving a tarantula definitely helps to illustrate the breadth of her heart! But by far the most loved have been the dogs.  They are members of the family and rather rule the roost.

Please help them with a donation towards these overwhelming medical bills. The helicopter ride, the extended hospital stay, and the five surgeries each on their own are large bills. Combined, they are catastrophic, and the bills will begin arriving soon. 

All donations, whatever the size, will be deeply appreciated.  Thank you!