Trenton Bass

​I did not have any pain. It was a really weird feeling. I wasn’t scared, and I really didn’t think much of it because I’ve had stingers before. But as I lay there, and everyone kept asking if I could feel this and feel that, I didn’t know what to think. However, I felt a sense of peace. I never panicked.

Because I was not getting any feeling back, they had to put a neck brace on, so I did not move it, and they carried me off the field in a stretcher. They took me in an ambulance to Windom, which was about 20 miles away. When I got there, they did a CT scan and said that I broke my C5 and C6 vertebrae. At that moment, I knew it was pretty serious. Then I was airlifted to Sioux Falls Avera Hospital, where they had to do surgery immediately to decompress my spinal cord. The broken vertebrae were basically pinching my spinal cord, which is why I could not move. I was never in much pain…more uncomfortable than anything. I don’t remember much of the helicopter ride or going into surgery. I remember being in the ER, and my mom, aunt, uncle, and a pastor friend of my parents were there and prayed with me before surgery. My dad, brothers, and sister-in-law had to drive from the game to Sioux Falls, which took about 3 hours. They made it before I went into surgery at about 1:30 am. The accident happened at about 9 pm. 

When I woke up, I remember my family being there. I remember hating being alone, especially at night when nobody was around. One night, I was having a really hard time getting comfortable and falling asleep, and I was feeling anxious. I knew other people had been praying for me, but nobody was around, and I finally knew I needed to pray. So I prayed to God that he would help me get comfortable and go to sleep. Almost immediately, I was sleeping. At that moment, I knew that God was right there with me. My family would pray around my bed at night, and we’d take turns praying. I knew that God was giving me peace and my family peace.

Ever since then, my life has changed. I am considered a quadriplegic, which means all four of my limbs are affected. I can’t feel anything from my breastbone down. I can move my arms, but don’t have use of my fingers. I am learning to maneuver and do things just by figuring out how to do it differently.

I know that God has a plan for me. I think about things differently now. Before the accident, I wanted to go to college to become an engineer. Now, I sometimes wonder if I’d be able to physically do the job of an engineer. But I trust that God is with me and is guiding me. I pray for feeling to come back, but I also have learned that even if that prayer isn’t answered, God has a plan for my future; I just need to lean on Him and go to Him with any of my worries. I wouldn’t be as at peace as I am with my situation without my relationship with God. I will continue to lean on Him and will hopefully be able to help others in life who are going through a difficult time. I can’t imagine not having God in my life. I hope people can see that because of Him, I am getting through this day by day. Some days aren’t easy, but I get through them with His help.”