A man who operated a farm near Pender, Nebraska, made extraordinary efforts to save his life after his left leg was stuck in a machine on his farm.
In the early afternoon of April 19, Kurt Kaser, a corn, soy and hog producer established all his life, was transferring cereals from one crate to another when He entered a worm. The machine gnawed his left leg and sucked the 63-year-old to the machine.
"I did not know what to do," he said on Tuesday. "I was afraid it would suck me more. I pretty much gave up and I let him do what he was going to do.
Kaser was alone on the farm that day. His cell phone fell into the machine or fell somewhere else. On the 1500-acre farm, screaming would be useless.
He took out his 3-inch pocketknife and sliced his leg.
"I had other incidents. I try to keep my cool or find a way to improve the situation at that time, "he said. "It's hard to describe. You want to survive and you do what you have to do to survive, I guess.
Kaser saw the machine remove his foot from his body and continue tearing his flesh. At about 8 inches below his knee, he found the smallest fabric connection and determined that it was his best chance to break free.
He saw the muscles and nerves, cutting from one inch to the other before freeing himself.
"The bone stayed up to my ankle," he says. "That's what I was standing at when I was trying to get out."
Once free, Kaser crawled about 200 meters from the nearest phone. He called his son Adam, who is part of the local rescue team.
Adam was the first person to arrive at the farm. He helped take his father to town. Kurt Kaser was then airlifted to the west campus of the Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln, where one of Kaser's two daughters is a trauma nurse. She did not work that day.
Kaser spent a week at the hospital and two weeks at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln. He returned home on Friday.
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"Everyone says," You seem so optimistic about this, "he said," I've been in Madonna for two weeks, and some (other patients) will never get out of their wheelchairs. that's what they are, I know I'll walk pretty normally, the others can not, never will be. "
Once he has healed, said Kaser, he will be equipped for a prosthesis and will return to the culture of the land on which he was born. All things considered, Kaser should be able to walk normally.
Kaser said he hoped his story would serve as a warning and could possibly make sure that at least one farmer slowed down a bit.
"I was in a hurry and I did not pay attention," he said. "Farmers, we are all guilty of it, but we do not stop and we do not think. We are in a hurry.
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Oliver Henderson plays the first goal while waiting for action. Without the left hand, Henderson is able to adapt to the world of baseball.
Libby DiBiase wears a 14-kilogram vest during a training session at CrossFit Kinesis in Gretna. This Omaha policeman uses CrossFit to keep fit for his unpredictable work.
Jeff Strufing enjoys being able to help people during group classes in Kosama. Despite his cancer diagnosis, Strufing did not let him change his lifestyle. The 46-year-old business owner, husband and father of two, still works part-time as a paramedic and teaches weekly classes in three gyms. He did everything during chemotherapy treatments.
Margie Irfan practices the biceps during her training at Life Time Fitness. Iftan entered the world of bodybuilding at the age of 46. The Omaha woman has lost 10% of her body fat while maintaining the same weight – and she has toned muscles to prove it.
Jack Mallett practices tennis at the Miracle Hill courts. After deciding to stop drinking, Mallett, 92, has been playing tennis his addiction.
Michelle Graft runs on the Wabash Trace circuit in Council Bluffs to train for her part of the MS Run the US Relay. Gaft, suffering from multiple sclerosis, uses running to control his symptoms.
Mary Manhart works at the downtown YMCA four times a week. She sees people at the gym as her extended family.
Hadeel Haider began exercising after being treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma, and she fell in love with Zumba. Haider now teaches Zumba at the YMCA Maple Street.
Nancy Nygren trains at least three times a week to keep more than 65 pounds that she lost a decade ago. "She's the perfect example of someone who has lost a lot of weight and done it right," said Jennifer Yee, who runs Nygren's training camp class and is also an instructor. from the Creighton University exercise science program.
Tom Carney is doing a workout during the kickboxing class. Carney was training to be able to eat what he wanted. Now he understands that diet is just as important as exercise.
Rik Zortman is named after children who died of cancer. It is named after more than 250 children since the death of his son in 2009.
Katie Chipman, a 12-year-old gymnast suffering from juvenile arthritis, practices at the Airborne Academy. Chipman works too hard to compete and abandons his practices only if his symptoms are too severe.
Joe Reisdorff and Dan Masters grew up in the same city; attending the same church was never close until Reisdorff needed a new kidney and that Masters was a match.
