There was a slight shake in the house, as the pounding of hammers reverberated through the walls; but inside, there was a hopeful energy that filled me. I sat on a big, comfy couch across from Shane Schimpf, one of the homeowners selected for the Habitat for Humanity, “A Brush with Kindness” (ABWK) program, as he narrated the story of his life on Wednesday morning. And while ABWK is helping him renovate the outside of his house, it is clear that his body has already been through a huge renovation of its own.
The story is a long one, and one that I will simply not be able to give the justice it deserves. Sitting and chatting with Shane, while his brown eyes swelled with emotion, I was equally overcome with emotion for the amazing hope and faith that I felt in his presence. I can only attempt to give you a taste of the journey I was able to be audience to.
Shane and his wife, Kristy, purchased their home at 957 Emerson during the summer of 2004. It needed a lot of TLC; but Shane was a foreman at Big Horn Granite & Marble, and fixing up the house was a project he could definitely handle.
In September of that year, however, 2,000 pounds of stone fell on Shane’s legs. The accident resulted in serious injuries that healed, but left him struggling to complete his work properly. Eventually, Shane resigned from his position, but his condition continued to deteriorate.
“No one believed that I was still hurting,” he said.
Finally, in November of 2006, an MRI discovered that Shane's intense pain was the result of a tumor in his spine from his C3 to T4 vertebrae (about 7 inches long). Doctors assume Shane had the growth since adolescence, but the trauma of the accident suddenly made it symptomatic. The tumor (about the width of a “breakfast sausage”) was blocking spinal fluid and basically shutting his body down. The doctors had never seen anything like it.
A surgeon in Billings said an operation could save his life but guarantee no quality of life after the procedure. Shane struggled with the decision because he couldn’t imagine burdening his family with the responsibility of taking care of him, but the surgeon’s optimistic narrative convinced Shane to have the tumor removed.
When Shane woke up, however, he was paralyzed everywhere except for his right arm and head. He said he spent most of the next week doubting God and wanting to end his own life. Even when those feelings started to pass, he was left with a terrible guilt for putting his family through this, and the realization that he might never be able to move again.
“I was in a mechanical wheel chair,” he said. “I couldn’t handle mirrors or pictures. I couldn’t look at myself.”
Eventually, however, Shane said he realized how much he still had to live for. He recalled a time, in the cafeteria of his hospital unit, where he saw a woman who’d had a brain aneurism. She couldn’t talk or move or articulate any feelings – “all she could do was cry.”
“I could talk. I could move my arm!” he said. “I looked around and saw that some people had it so much worse. I was blessed for what I did have!”
Shane developed the will to heal and spent hours in therapy – shocking doctors at his quick progress. He was able to return home and continue his therapy in Sheridan. Four years after surgery, Shane is walking without even a cane!
Shane has a slight limp, but as I sit on the coach with him, I don’t see a man who is disabled.
“I spell disABLEd with a capital ABLE,” he said. “It’s all about self-belief.”
Shane also did an exceptional job articulating his unbelievable appreciation for his wife and the community that stayed by him through years of recovery.
“My wife was amazing,” he said. “She has done more than I would expect anyone to do.”
And of his appreciation for the people of Sheridan, Shane added, “This community came out of the woodwork to help. This community saved us!”
Shane’s home has been receiving some much-needed renovations this week, including insulation work and new siding. And Shane is contributing greatly to the success of the project. He said he wasn’t sure how much he could help out physically due to his limitations; but each time I’ve stopped by the house, he’s outside working away!
And Shane said he plans to “pay it forward” any way that he can. He is involved coaching baseball to young kids and working with charitable organizations, and he said he wants to tell people his story of recovery.
“I want to help people understand that anything is possible,” he said.
As I got up to leave that house Wednesday morning, I was fighting back tears of hope that were overwhelming. But before I could leave, Shane made me promise one thing. He made me promise I would thank all of you.
He said, “The world would be tougher without volunteers, churches, and programs like this.”
So “Thank you!” Stories like these, my friends, are the reason our volunteers and donors do what they do.
-Melissa
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