Posted: 3/21/07
To help a neighbor in need
 An unidentified person checks on Nancy Swanson as she awaits extrication from her car the morning of Dec. 28, 2006. |
By Patrick Tepoorten
All Nancy Swanson remembers from the morning of Dec. 28, 2006, as she was helplessly pinned inside her Buick LeSabre on CR 30 north of North Branch, is wondering, "Is the dream over yet?" Unfortunately for Swanson, 44, of North Branch, it was no dream.
Swanson was on her way to see her grandchild that morning, and then to work, when she was involved in a collision with a pick-up truck. Her car was so crushed it had to be cut apart to get her out. Her injuries were massive, her right foot and ankle were crushed, as was her right knee. There were broken ribs, a punctured lung, a fractured hip, pelvis, wrist and arm, a broken neck, and a nine-inch laceration to her head.
Now, the person her family calls "Ms. Caretaker" for her devotion to caring for others, finds herself bedridden on a long road to recovery, and on the receiving end of the care she used to give. Parents, siblings, and children have all pitched in to help Swanson in her recovery. That has included securing an apartment for Swanson, who cannot negotiate stairs, taking her back and forth to doctor appointments. And physical therapy sessions, and the full-time job of taking care of Swanson, who is unable to put weight on her left leg, at home.
Swanson finds it difficult to discuss the sacrifices others have made on her behalf without becoming emotional, and that includes her employer, Riverbank in Wyoming. Employees have sent cards, they call, and stop by for lunch, and the bank has taken up collections for Swanson and assured her she will have a job to come back to when she can.
Somehow, through it all, Swanson has maintained a sunny disposition. Rather than focus on the pain of a healing process that has no end in sight, Swanson smiles and talks of her grandchildren, or jokes that her life isn't exactly "care free" anymore.
Despite the support she has received though, Swanson is struggling financially as a result of the accident. Without employment, monthly bills like health insurance, living expenses such as food and shelter, and other costs pile up, and someday soon she will need to replace her car.
In an attempt to help with those costs, friends are hosting a benefit Saturday, April 14, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the North Branch Senior Center. The $10 per plate dinner will also include a bake sale and silent auction, with local bands providing entertainment. Call Patrice Palmer at (651) 208-3383, or Shelly Hesse at (651) 674-8590 for details or to donate items for the silent auction.
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