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Hunter Pinke


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Latest update on Hunter from his mom. 
 

Day seven, Jan. 3, 2019 update:

“I can’t wait to get back to work,” Hunter said today. He sat in his wheelchair and rolled it down the hallway with the PT and OT staff. It wore him out but the progress we’ve seen in the past few days in miraculous and we’re praying for more miracles.

This is the new normal. We won’t sugarcoat it. It’s painful, grueling and we celebrate each day’s “wins.” We also need to understand the “rules” of the new game we’re playing. Hunter is an athlete and a competitor. When we were told yesterday Hunter’s spinal cord injury is the most severe as measured by the ASIA (American Spinal Injury Assn.) test we also learned the percentage of people who walk again with a complete or total spinal cord injury is two percent. Hunter said “Wow! That’s so much better than I thought it would be. I’ve been in the two percent category before.” He went on to explain going to be a Division I athlete when coming from a class of 18 students, playing Class B nine-man football and other life experiences that built his character.

In the category of little wins, today Hunter was given a bigger and longer hospital bed which for his large frame was much awaited and “is so awesome.” We are surrounded by an incredible medical staff and I will share more about them soon but we know this is where Hunter was meant to be cared for at this time.

In the category of big wins, late this afternoon we were verbally told we have insurance APPROVAL and medical clearance to transport Hunter to Craig Hospital in the Denver area early next week to begin his rehabilitation. From where we were a week ago, this is a BIG praise.

This has been the most grueling week of our lives and yet the most hope-filled. One week ago today, Hunter’s life and the lives of all who are connected to him changed as a result of a skiing accident. Hunter did not lose consciousness. He clearly remembers the accident on “an easy blue run” as he says and we look at the dent on his ski helmet every day with thankfulness.

For anyone who has experienced trauma, tragedy, and adversity, you know the survival mode you enter to get through each and every moment. We’ve been carried by your immense prayers, care, and love. We can only explain this outreach as a greater purpose and calling. God's got this. Hunter is alive. He does not have a brain injury. He has his mind, voice, use of his arms and hands and will work hard to accomplish new goals he has set for himself.

Hunter’s path is not one we could see or know. He’s shared last year the UND Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) theme was “Why me? Why not me.” We believe he has been prepared for this journey as best he can. Is there a lot of emotion? Severe pain, adversity, and unknowns? Yes. God is building a greater story from this experience, not only for Hunter but for thousands joining us in prayer. As a dear friend shared very early on last weekend with us, "more people will go to heaven from this experience." Hunter is absolutely more faithful in his outlook right now than Nathan or I am. His complete trust has strengthened our faith just in the past week. 

Keep praying please, anytime, anywhere. God listens and comforts. Prayers are needed as it’s a lot to process and persevere through and continues to be a traumatic situation. We also see many around us in this hospital in need of prayers. You have those same types of people hurting and broken around you. Let's love on them, pray for them and fill them with hope as we have been this past week and will continue to be uplifted.

Specific prayer requests:

For Hunter’s continued medical stability and mental and physical strength building each day

For Hunter and fellow spinal cord injury patient Todd to get to Craig Hospital next week and get settled into their new hospital rooms and begin their rehab regimen

For all of the insurance approvals and housing needs Nathan and I are working to get done at Craig Hospital can be finalized on Monday

For our daughters and our entire family to continue to be supported and loved on a little extra during this time. Our daughters (ages 10 and 12) are experiencing this far away from us and we’re so grateful for those rallying around them. We miss them terribly and love seeing them on FaceTime daily.

Thank you. Your support is unwavering. Nathan and I talked together about how people have filled all the gaps in our life over the past week and are helping us find a path forward in our new normal. It impacts almost all aspects of our daily life. This network has filled all the needs we had and so much more. We will forever be grateful. #pinkestrong

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3 hours ago, Siouxperfan7 said:

Latest update on Hunter from his mom. 
 

Day seven, Jan. 3, 2019 update:

“I can’t wait to get back to work,” Hunter said today. He sat in his wheelchair and rolled it down the hallway with the PT and OT staff. It wore him out but the progress we’ve seen in the past few days in miraculous and we’re praying for more miracles.

This is the new normal. We won’t sugarcoat it. It’s painful, grueling and we celebrate each day’s “wins.” We also need to understand the “rules” of the new game we’re playing. Hunter is an athlete and a competitor. When we were told yesterday Hunter’s spinal cord injury is the most severe as measured by the ASIA (American Spinal Injury Assn.) test we also learned the percentage of people who walk again with a complete or total spinal cord injury is two percent. Hunter said “Wow! That’s so much better than I thought it would be. I’ve been in the two percent category before.” He went on to explain going to be a Division I athlete when coming from a class of 18 students, playing Class B nine-man football and other life experiences that built his character.

In the category of little wins, today Hunter was given a bigger and longer hospital bed which for his large frame was much awaited and “is so awesome.” We are surrounded by an incredible medical staff and I will share more about them soon but we know this is where Hunter was meant to be cared for at this time.

In the category of big wins, late this afternoon we were verbally told we have insurance APPROVAL and medical clearance to transport Hunter to Craig Hospital in the Denver area early next week to begin his rehabilitation. From where we were a week ago, this is a BIG praise.

This has been the most grueling week of our lives and yet the most hope-filled. One week ago today, Hunter’s life and the lives of all who are connected to him changed as a result of a skiing accident. Hunter did not lose consciousness. He clearly remembers the accident on “an easy blue run” as he says and we look at the dent on his ski helmet every day with thankfulness.

For anyone who has experienced trauma, tragedy, and adversity, you know the survival mode you enter to get through each and every moment. We’ve been carried by your immense prayers, care, and love. We can only explain this outreach as a greater purpose and calling. God's got this. Hunter is alive. He does not have a brain injury. He has his mind, voice, use of his arms and hands and will work hard to accomplish new goals he has set for himself.

Hunter’s path is not one we could see or know. He’s shared last year the UND Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) theme was “Why me? Why not me.” We believe he has been prepared for this journey as best he can. Is there a lot of emotion? Severe pain, adversity, and unknowns? Yes. God is building a greater story from this experience, not only for Hunter but for thousands joining us in prayer. As a dear friend shared very early on last weekend with us, "more people will go to heaven from this experience." Hunter is absolutely more faithful in his outlook right now than Nathan or I am. His complete trust has strengthened our faith just in the past week. 

Keep praying please, anytime, anywhere. God listens and comforts. Prayers are needed as it’s a lot to process and persevere through and continues to be a traumatic situation. We also see many around us in this hospital in need of prayers. You have those same types of people hurting and broken around you. Let's love on them, pray for them and fill them with hope as we have been this past week and will continue to be uplifted.

Specific prayer requests:

For Hunter’s continued medical stability and mental and physical strength building each day

For Hunter and fellow spinal cord injury patient Todd to get to Craig Hospital next week and get settled into their new hospital rooms and begin their rehab regimen

For all of the insurance approvals and housing needs Nathan and I are working to get done at Craig Hospital can be finalized on Monday

For our daughters and our entire family to continue to be supported and loved on a little extra during this time. Our daughters (ages 10 and 12) are experiencing this far away from us and we’re so grateful for those rallying around them. We miss them terribly and love seeing them on FaceTime daily.

Thank you. Your support is unwavering. Nathan and I talked together about how people have filled all the gaps in our life over the past week and are helping us find a path forward in our new normal. It impacts almost all aspects of our daily life. This network has filled all the needs we had and so much more. We will forever be grateful. #pinkestrong

Continued prayers and hope for Hunter. The UND community is with you and your family.

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A community-wide prayer and fundraising event for Hunter Pinke was held tonight at Hope Church in Grand Forks. Put on in partnership with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) which Hunter is heavily involved in. Whether you are a person of faith or not, this is a great testament to people of all backgrounds coming together in support of a inspiring young man.  Message from Hunter and Bubba at the 41 minute mark. I encourage all to watch.  #PinkeStrong
 

https://fbwat.ch/1qnaU7xcK1LuKa2v

 

 

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11 hours ago, Siouxperfan7 said:

A community-wide prayer and fundraising event for Hunter Pinke was held tonight at Hope Church in Grand Forks. Put on in partnership with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) which Hunter is heavily involved in. Whether you are a person of faith or not, this is a great testament to people of all backgrounds coming together in support of a inspiring young man.  Message from Hunter and Bubba at the 41 minute mark. I encourage all to watch.  #PinkeStrong
 

https://fbwat.ch/1qnaU7xcK1LuKa2v

 

 

Thanks for posting - any idea how much they raised last night?

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

WDAY's Kevin Wallevand and The Grand Forks Herald's Tom Miller travel to Colorado to see the incredible grit and determination coming from North Dakota's Hunter Pinke. Witness Hunter's incredible determination to move forward, following a recent skiing accident that left him paralyzed.
Watch "Pinke Strong" Tuesday-Thursday at 10 PM on WDAY News. You can also watch the series and read more about Hunter's inspiring story on GrandForksHerald.com.

 

 
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Part 1 of 3 - How Hunter Pinke manages to feel lucky even after a severe spinal injury

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/football/4967835-How-Hunter-Pinke-manages-to-feel-lucky-even-after-a-severe-spinal-injury

“People say you’re going to have a bad day. I mean no disrespect to them, but I just disagree with it. I’m not going to have a bad day. I have tough days. But no bad days, because every day from now on is a day that I don’t take for granted. You know, I was in a situation where all of my days could’ve been taken away from me, so I’m no longer a glass half full or glass half empty. I’m just glad I’ve got a glass.”

 

“Right after I thought ‘why me?’, I thought ‘why not me?’” Pinke said. “Why can’t I be the guy in the wheelchair that helps change peoples’ lives. You know, I just had to fix my mindset – from why did this bad thing happen to me to why not me? New challenge, new opportunities.”

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Part 2 of 3 - How watching the GoPro video of his accident helped Hunter Pinke find closure and turn his attention to new life goals

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/football/4968228-How-watching-the-GoPro-video-of-his-accident-helped-Hunter-Pinke-find-closure-and-turn-his-attention-to-new-life-goals

“There are going to be doors that have closed for me,” Pinke said. “But far more doors will open up because of this situation. So I’m not sure what those are going to be, but I know that it’s going to be big. I can assure you of that. Whatever it might be, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability. It’s going to be big.”

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Part 3 of 3 - How Hunter Pinke went from motivating teammates to inspiring an entire community

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/football/4972864-How-Hunter-Pinke-went-from-motivating-teammates-to-inspiring-an-entire-community

“I really don’t want this story to be about me, though. I don’t want it to be a reflection of me. I’d rather have it reflect on the goodness of God and how I’m still alive and look how people have come together.”

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  • 4 weeks later...
1 hour ago, nd1sufan said:

I see Hunter came home to North Dakota today. All the best for him. Really good kid. Puts sports in perspective. Would trade all wins/ championships for him to have his mobility back. But I know he will thrive with the hand that was dealt him. The wirkd would be a better place with more Hunter Pinkes in it.

Absolutely agree!

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Does anyone have a pic of Hunter not smiling?!! :D  Seriously.  The positive attitude he has had through all of this is truly inspiring.  Makes us really look at our situation (especially now) and really be thankful for all we have.  Hunter is an inspiration!

https://www.inforum.com/sports/5016436-UNDs-Hunter-Pinke-returns-home-after-recovering-from-Colorado-ski-accident?fbclid=IwAR1koSJJ_-hdPQIhcV3bjfD4FoYqozg1yAZSbAB8jvFYYnvUhtKzuiqhj1Q

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This is amazing stuff. This kid is going to do incredible things! I look forward to following his progression in the months/years to come. And as a UND alumnus I am very happy he chose UND. 

His smile and attitude is incredible. I will donate more money to him again and to continue to support this winner!!!

#Siouxstrong

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  • 7 months later...

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