Surprise NFL visit for crash victim
Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin expected a warm welcome when he walked into Skyler Schwegel’s room at Harborview Medical Center recently.
Schwegel, 15, of Whitefish, is recovering from severe injuries caused by a car accident on Aug. 31. He’s undergone a dozen surgeries, one of which included the loss of his left leg from the knee down.
It was no surprise when employees at the hospital wanted to do something to lift his spirits. Social workers at Harborview knew Schwegel was a big NFL fan, and thought they were helping him when they arranged to have Baldwin visit.
But Schwegel politely had to tell Baldwin: “Thanks. I’m a Broncos fan. I just thought you should know.”
Schwegel had to tell the Seahawks receiver he didn’t really know who he was. It’s not the greeting Baldwin is used to getting.
“Doug Baldwin comes in and he presents Skyler with a 12th Man sign [and] Skyler has no idea what the heck this is,” Schwegel’s sister, Melissa, told the Denver Post in an interview last week.
When Schwegel told Baldwin he was a Denver Broncos fan, Melissa said, “The room — you could hear crickets. It just went silent.”
The story quickly made the rounds and was passed on until it reached friends and acquaintances back home in Whitefish. Jessica Cripe, whose son attended school with Schwegel, is also a die-hard Broncos fan and a member of the Broncos Sideline Nuts, an online group specifically for Broncos supporters.
Cripe posted the story on the Broncos supporter website, encouraging any Denver fans to help out. The goal was to get a Denver Bronco’s player to visit Schwegel.
Schwegel was the passenger in the devastating car accident during Labor Day weekend. He was riding home from work at 1:20 a.m. when the driver, a friend, swerved to avoid hitting a deer, causing the car to flip and roll several times. The driver, Noah, sustained a head injury but has since been discharged from the hospital.
Schwegel was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, after shattering his pelvis, breaking both arms, his ribs, and spine. Both of his legs were fractured, the left one so badly it had to be amputated.
More than 500 miles away from Denver, Joe Holt of Seattle read the message on the Broncos Sideline Nuts website.
“I saw that the story about the Hawks visiting the kid, and his reaction is just priceless,” Holt, formerly of Denver, said in a phone interview. “We figured we needed to represent as well.”
Holt and Matt Rotundie, a friend and police officer disabled by 9/11, decided to take action. The two visited Schwegel in the hospital last Thursday. Holt has been a hardcore Broncos fan for years, and decided to decorate Schwegel’s hospital room in proper colors — orange and blue.
“I just went through my room randomly and brought him whatever I could,” Holt said. “Jerseys, pins, hats. There was a signed John Elway card.”
Holt said even though the gear is meaningful to him, it meant more to be able to make Schwegel happy.
“We wanted to do whatever we could to put a smile on the kid’s face,” he said.
It will be several months before Schwegel is able to walk again, because his right leg is still broken. His kidneys are damaged, he still has a hole in his abdomen after being impaled by his seat belt, and he has developed blood clots in his lungs.
However, those who meet him say Schwegel has been positive throughout the experience.
“He’s got a great attitude,” Holt said.
After Holt and Rotundie visited, Rotundie had to return to New York, where he lives. However, Holt knew that he wanted to continue to help Schwegel.
“When we met him, he mentioned how lonely it is in the hospital,” Holt said. “And that struck a cord with me. I promised him that [my visit] wouldn’t be a one-time thing. That I would be with him for the duration of his stay.”
Holt has kept good on that promise. Since his original visit, Holt has visited Schwegel twice more, including after the Denver/Seattle game on Sunday. Holt said he plans to watch the remainder of Denver’s games with Schwegel.
“He’s got a great attitude, and his head’s in the right place,” Holt said. “We want to do all that we can for him, and to put a smile on his face.”
Holt hasn’t stopped there. He sent out messages to the rest of the Broncos Sideline Nuts, calling for anything that will help Schwegel.
The group has responded in force, and the 40 members have begun shipping orange-and-blue care packages to Holt.
“I hope they can clear a corner of that hospital room,” Holt said with a laugh. “Because it’s about it hit. There’s going to be a lot of stuff.”
The goal is still to get a Denver Broncos player to visit Schwegel. But so far, the fans have given him the next-best thing.
Schwegel still has a long road of recovery ahead of him. The family has created a GoFundMe profile online to pay for his medical expenses. For more information, or to donate, visit http://www.gofundme.com/skyler-schwegel