Some would say Chase Thurman cheated death. That’s not accurate. Chase Thurman doesn’t cheat. What Chase did was call upon his own physical and mental strength and - with the help of a skilled surgeon and the support of people around the region, country and world – beat the odds.

On January 13, 2017, travelling from his home in Bloomington, IL, to school at the University of Iowa, 20-year-old Chase planned to stop at his grandparents’ home in Macomb. Three miles from that destination, another vehicle broadsided the car Chase was driving, launching it more than 200 feet off the road into a field.  The car was shredded and Chase was non-responsive.

His grandfather, Larry Moore, heard the commotion and raced to the scene as the Air Evac medical helicopter arrived.  Larry told the crew to take his grandson to St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, IL. The flight nurse told him, “He’s not going to make it to Peoria.”

Air Evac took Chase to Blessing Hospital. Chase’s grandmother, Saralee, called her daughter, Chase’s mom Meg. “It’s bad. It doesn’t look like he’ll make it,” she remembers her mother saying.

With those words, Meg and Chase’s father Lance Thurman began the trek from their home in Bloomington to Blessing Hospital.

An ice storm and spotty cellphone service along the way increased the Thurman’s stress level. Upon reaching Blessing, they learned their son had less than a 40 percent chance to live.

A family of deep faith, the Thurmans remained strong, but Chase’s list of injuries was overwhelming: an open, compound fracture of his thighbone, a closed head injury, both lungs punctured, a lacerated spleen and bruising of his heart, kidney and liver. Nearly any of these injuries alone could be fatal.

Based on the severity of his broken leg, orthopedic traumatologist, Dr. Rena Stewart, became Chase’s doctor.

“Every system and everything in his body was involved,” said Dr. Stewart.

“Dr. Stewart made us feel at ease,” said Meg. “She told us she had seen this before.  As she talked with us she would take cues from us – comforting us as we needed – and then continuing with the details of Chase’s condition.”

What made Chase’s case more complex is that he is an award-winning athlete with career plans that include service in the military followed by a law enforcement career. 

“For most people, if you can get them walking again, they can do everything they did before,” said Dr. Stewart. “But Chase needed to be 110 percent.  We needed to make this young man perfect.”

A 22-day stay at Blessing followed for Chase and his family, including three surgeries and featuring stays in the Intensive Care Unit, a medical-surgical unit and Rehabilitation.

Chase’s athletic condition is what helped Dr. Stewart save his life and restore his function. The muscle mass he built up over 20 years of conditioning and competition saved him from permanent injury.

“This would have killed a normal person,” said Dr. Stewart.

By the summer of 2017, Chase was again participating in triathlons, rock climbing and skydiving.

“Dr. Stewart and Blessing saved his life and his lifestyle,” said Lance.

“We could have gone anywhere. We choose to stay because of the care,” added Meg. “We could not have had better care.”

The Thurman family has an extensive network of family and friends around the region, country and world.  News of Chase’s situation spread quickly through social media, reaching an audience that included dozens of Blessing employees. Those employees sought out the Thurmans throughout their time at Blessing, offering anything they could do to make the stay a bit easier.

“It went beyond the people assigned to us,” observed Meg. “That’s what I love about Blessing.”

“You can tell it’s part of the Blessing Mission,” added Lance. “But also, it is who these people are.”

For Chase’s part, he remembers nothing of the accident and little about his stay at Blessing. But the amazing young man did return home with a valuable new insight on life.

“I am not in control of what happens to me in my life,” he said. “I am in control of attitude, what I do with those things that do happen to me.”

For more information go to blessinghealth.org and search Orthopedic Trauma.