Donny Schroeder should not be alive, but he is. Donny should not be walking, but he is. And for those two facts, we give thanks! We are reminded that the greatest blessings often emerge from unspeakable tragedy. It has for Donny Schroeder, whose family vehicle carrying this very close family—mother Cindy, dad Terry, Donny, and twin brother Dylan—returning to their Illinois home from the Ozarks, was crushed on a bridge by a heavily-loaded gravel truck. Only Donny survived. He was air-lifted to the University of Missouri hospital in Columbia, with multiple broken bones and internal injuries. Stabilized, he was transferred to a hospital in Peoria, where doctors talked of amputating his leg.
Enter Mohammed Noble Eric Tjarks, who, upon hearing of the tragedy, called Donny’s aunt, Kelley Schroeder. Eric told her of SHC – Chicago and urged her to get him here as soon as possible. Kelley says, “It would never have occurred to us—we didn’t know about Shriners—until Eric called.” Deeply moved by Donny’s experience here, Kelley explains, “This is a one-stop shop—you do everything Donny with Dr. Jeff Ackman, Chief without our asking—medical, nursing care, rehabilitation, psychological and social of Staff and his favorite physician counseling—just everything. It’s a miracle!”
Not a miracle—just standard operating procedure in pediatric medicine at Shriners hospitals since 1922. As the need arises, our professionals here—and in every Shriners hospital—rise as one to the occasion in routine ways that are considered by others, “miracles.”
Donny Schroeder is alive and doing better than all expected, as he and his family, build a new life for him, with unlimited potential. We think this remarkable story is Thanksgiving-worthy!
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