Mike had been sitting in the plane’s third row, in business class. The impact of the crash shattered his upper left arm and caused a compound fracture in his right forearm, broken bones in both legs, a broken nose, a fractured eye socket and two crushed wisdom teeth.
His survival “is truly a miracle,” Shirley said. “The other miracle is that he had no internal injuries, no spinal injuries and no brain injuries,” she said.
Feeling the support
Boeing flew Shirley to Amsterdam to be with Mike. For nearly five weeks, thousands of miles from home, the couple felt the love and concern sent their way. Hundreds of cards — including some made by Abby’s class — were sent to them.
“I would hear about what everybody was doing [back home] and I would be in tears,” Shirley said, overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted to help them.
Mike and Shirley flew home March 31, but Mike still had three weeks of recovery ahead at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way.
At the couple’s home, some 70 people — fellow parishioners, Boeing workers, neighbors, friends and Boy Scouts — pitched in as “Team Hemmer,” organized under the umbrella of Gloria’s Angels. The nonprofit organization assists families caring for a seriously ill relative. Volunteers made meals, cleaned house, did laundry and took care of the Hemmers’ yard throughout the spring and summer.
“It’s not in our nature to ask for help,” Shirley said. But as the Hemmers learned to accept the help they needed, they discovered the helpers also were enriched by the experience.
“People would come in to clean the house and say, ‘Thank you for letting us do this,’” Shirley said.
Mike’s fellow Knights of Columbus members decided to extend the home’s back deck and build a wheelchair ramp. When it turned out Mike wouldn’t need a ramp, the Knights enlarged the deck for the family to enjoy anyway. “It was just the type of thing that the Knights do,” Mike said.
Drawing strength
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Mike’s faith, upbeat personality and sense of humor have helped him through the difficulties of his recovery, including seven surgeries in Amsterdam and three more here.
“Knowing that I was going to come home and see the kids and that I would be able to enjoy life with them, I guess is probably what kept me going as much as anything,” he said.
The whole family drew strength from their faith and each other during Mike’s recovery.
“When we got back, everyone — whether it was teachers, friends or neighbors — just raved about how strong the kids were and what fortitude they showed,” Mike said. He attributes that to the foundation of faith they’ve received at home and by attending Catholic schools.
“Shirley’s always said that in our relationship, I’m the strong one,” Mike said. But through this crisis, “she has just been the absolute rock that’s kept the family together, that kept me together,” he said. “She’s so much stronger than she thought she could be.”
Today, Mike feels about 85 percent of his old self and hopes to be rid of his cane by summer. In everyday life, he’s “trying not to let the little things matter so much anymore. It really is a wakeup call to what’s really important,” he said.