NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) – A Marshfield teenager took the time to thank the medical team that helped him after a car accident.
Emmit Koniezny, 18, and his mother, Jen, were in a head-on crash last November while visiting Lakeland College in Sheboygan. Emmit and her mother were separated because Emmit had to be flown to ThedaCare in Nina to get help from her trauma center.
“In the space of three hours, I went from being a kid running around having fun with my friends to just walking around the hospital,” Emmitt said of the accident.
Emmitt's mother said the hardest part was being away from her son while he was receiving treatment at another facility.
“It was scary. That was probably one of the most difficult moments. He was here and I was somewhere else and his father and his brother and the rest of the family were still on their way. He knew that, but he took great care of him. Everyone was very kind to him,” Jen Koniezny said.
Emmitt, a basketball player at Columbus Catholic High School, feared he would never be able to play the sport he loved again.
“What motivated me was that this was my last year, because I was a senior. If this wasn't the year, I would never get to play with my friends again. And my brother was also on the team, so I was like, 'I wanted to play more with him and I wanted to play more for my dad,''' Emmitt said.
He pushed himself to get better and ultimately helped lead the team to the Division 5 title.
“It definitely brought tears to my eyes because it was unreal that this was the year we accomplished everything we've been through,” Emmitt said of winning the tournament.
Emmitt and his family expressed their gratitude Wednesday morning to the staff at ThedaCare who took the time to help him through his recovery journey.
His surgeon, Dr. Kara Vande Walle, said, “Stories like this add value to our work and help us care for every patient who comes through our doors.'' We are just so grateful to have been able to be a part of his care and that he is healthy.” Very well done. ”
Emmitt now plans to study sports management and play basketball at Lakeland College, the same school he had planned to visit on the day of the accident. Through it all, Emmit shared lessons learned from his own experiences.
“Tomorrow is not promised. You never know what will happen to you at any time, so enjoy every moment you spend with your family and friends and tell your loved ones that you love them.”