‘Be safe,’ mom said before son’s boat outing. Parents later get life-altering call
Before Emily Dalsin’s 23-year-old son left for a cabin weekend with his friends, she offered some motherly advice.
“Be safe,” she told Andy Dalsin.
But two days later in late July, Emily Dalsin and her husband received a phone call from one of Andy’s friends. He had been in an accident while boating in Wisconsin.
The Dalsins learned Andy jumped off a pontoon boat but misjudged how deep the water was.
“He hit the bottom of the lake,” Emily Dalsin said in a GoFundMe. “He couldn’t feel his arms and legs.”
The accident caused his C7 vertebrae to be shattered, and it fractured his C6 vertebrae. Andy was unable to move any extremities from his upper chest to his toes and was taken to a Minnesota hospital.
In her GoFundMe, Emily Dalsin said her son is a fighter and will “do whatever it takes to recover.”
The recovery is expected to take at least a year.
“He may never walk again, but it’s also possible that with time and great care, he can beat the odds,” she said.
Within days, doctors were already seeing encouraging signs. In a July 31 post on CaringBridge, Andy’s mom said his pain had become more manageable and he was showing improvements during his physical training.
“He is our warrior, and he isn’t giving up,” an Aug. 1 post read. “He is determined to beat this!”
He’s already undergone multiple surgeries, and the plan is for Andy to be treated at a renowned spinal rehab center in Denver.
Among the setbacks was Andy’s lung being partially collapsed. But by Aug. 6, Emily Dalsin described silver linings and a “miracle.”
“The nerve pain Andy feels in his hands, arms and neck is spreading to his feet and calves,” she said. “It’s a faint tingle right now. We all got so excited!!! Pain and sensation are hope. They are the most beautiful silver linings we have seen in days!!!”
She described his hospital stay as a “roller coaster recovery ride.” The next milestone, Emily Dalsin said, is getting Andy to the Denver rehab center.
This story was originally published August 7, 2023 at 12:04 PM with the headline "‘Be safe,’ mom said before son’s boat outing. Parents later get life-altering call."