Teen adjusts to life with a prosthetic limb

A year after surviving a traumatic car crash and subsequently losing his left leg, Whitefish teenager Skyler Schwegel is adjusting quickly to life with a prosthetic.

Schwegel, a devoted Denver Broncos fan, received his orange-and-blue “Real Leg” emblazoned with the Broncos logo in June. Learning to walk again has been a challenge, but one he is more than willing to rise to.

“I’m doing therapy every day, but I still fell down three times on the second day of school,” he said. “That was an unlucky day. Most days aren’t like that.”

Schwegel is back in class at Whitefish High School.

Schwegel’s Real Leg is a complex electronic leg that learns the 16-year old’s walking habits and provides a consistent amount of resistance to make walking feel more natural.

That is, when it is turned on. Schwegel said sometimes he will turn it off to conserve power and forget about it when he tries to stand up. This usually ends with him on the ground.

Falling down a few times is a small price to pay after what Schwegel has been through.

On Aug. 31, 2014, he and a friend, Noah Gillund, were driving home from work near Beaver Lake Road.

Gillund lost control of the vehicle and it rolled off the road. When it came to rest, the two boys, then sophomores at Whitefish High School, were hanging upside down, luckily still in their seatbelts.

Gillund had significant head trauma and internal bleeding. The van had pinned his arm to the ground. Schwegel had two broken legs, a broken arm and severe internal injuries.

He was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where doctors were unable to save his leg.

After recovering for months and regaining health, Schwegel got Medicaid approval for the leg and has been relearning to walk for a few months.

“Everyone has been blown away by how quick I’m moving,” he said. “I was in therapy on the parallel bars and took my hands off them. My therapist told me if I fell it was my own fault.”

Gillund has also recovered to a degree, Schwegel said, with less intense headaches than immediately after the wreck.

Schwegel’s mother, Cheryl, said he does five days of therapy a week.

“Some adults who are in similar situations don’t work as hard as he does,” she said. “He has an infectious, amazing attitude about the whole thing.”

While recovering in Seattle, Schwegel was visited by two Seattle Seahawks players. A few awkward minutes later after a hasty exit by the players, word got down to two Broncos fans in the hospital that a young Elway-disciple was in need of some support.

“They brought some needed cheer,” he said. “And Broncos gear. Go Broncos!”

Choice of football team aside, adjusting to walking, running and swimming again is made easier with the support of Schwegel’s family. His brother Ryan, 34, is helping Skyler by running with him several times a week.

In July, Schwegel traveled to Ohio to go to an amputee camp, where children 10 to 17 were able to make connections and feel like normal kids again.

“Everyone there acts normal,” he said. “Most of them were born without limbs, so I wasn’t sure how I would fit in. They are all so friendly and welcoming.”

Schwegel wants to thank the community for supporting his recovery, former Flathead High School and current Denver Bronco quarterback Brock Osweiler, his family for lifting him up when he is down and everyone who has wished him well.

On Sept. 3, Schwegel celebrated something only an amputee can understand. That day marked his “ampu-versary,” one year after losing his leg.

“This leg can go over anything, I even went huckleberry picking the other day,” he said. “I’m so thankful for all the good thoughts people gave me. I hope I can give back some day.”

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.