Faith, caring and progress follow accident

“People should realize how much difference two seconds can make,” advises Joy Gottschalk, who was the victim of a January accident during which she was struck by a vehicle. “We all need to slow down and pay closer attention.”

 

The afternoon of January 14, Joy, 65,was walking between locations in Waseca’s downtown area taking care of some bills. The next thing she knew, she was returning to consciousness in a Rochester hospital to be informed she had been hovering between life and death for about 10 days while her family had been making critical medical decisions.

 

She had been airlifted to Rochester, having experienced head trauma and compound breaks in her right arm and leg. She remained unconscious all through the emergency treatments and beyond, so she received a tracheotomy to help with her oxygen intake and a feeding tube for nourishment. 

 

“I don’t know what it is, but God must have a purpose for me, because I’m still here,” observes Joy. “I could have died; I could have been a vegetable. But instead I’m getting better every day.”

 

“Getting better” is an ongoing process. Joy has not resided in her home since January. After a 33-day stay in Rochester, she moved to a facility in Mankato where “I’m getting physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy,” she says, explaining that although she is no longer staying in Mankato, she continues to receive services there. She now resides in a Waseca facility.

 

“I was a caregiver,” observes Joy with an ironic smile regarding the sudden change. “And now I’m someone who needs care.”

 

Here too, though, she sees grace at work. “God has protected me from pain,” she says. Given the extensive surgeries and the titanium rods now in place in her arm and leg, she says she feels surprisingly agile. “My leg seems heavy,” she notes, “but it doesn’t hurt.” She also shows how easily she can move her right wrist and fingers.

 

Joy has been a Waseca resident for 42 years. She and her husband Allen raised their four children, now in their 30s, here. An elementary teacher before her marriage, Joy was a stay at home mom who made sure her children got to the many activities and events that were part of their everyday lives; she even coached some of her children’s sports teams.

 

For the past 18 years, Joy has worked for iCan, interacting with clients at various settings including sometimes providing in-home care services. She has also helped daughters Joella and Angela with the care of their young children. She is a member of Waseca’s Christ Community Church.

 

“If you know anything about my mom,” observes daughter Joella Gottschalk, “you know she loves God.”

 

Joy says her confidence in God’s love and care is the reason she chooses to focus on positive elements of her recovery. A bible verse she believes applies is from Genesis 50:20, where Joseph forgives his brothers, saying the harm they intended for him had been part of God’s plan, and had been turned to bring about a great good.

 

“I’ve been reminded of everything that’s truly important in life,” she says of her experience. “I am so grateful for my family, and my daughters who have made sure I was taken care of, and who get me to all my appointments.”

 

She tells of her three siblings and her 89-year-old mother who gathered from locations as far away as Italy and Alabama to come see her soon after the accident.  She says she has an enriched appreciation for the value of the caregiving work she had done for so long, since she is now receiving similar services herself.

 

Joy states her belief in the value of prayer has been affirmed, since so many people of faith visited and prayed for her during her hospital stay. Her name was put out on some Facebook networks, she mentions, and she has received get well cards from people all across the country saying their prayers are with her.

 

Thanks to God’s love, she says there is no room in her heart for anger or resentment about the accident or her injuries.

 

“But I hope,” she says, “if they learn about how it’s been for me, people can set aside any frustrations about traffic and traffic lights and take a few extra seconds to be careful.”