April 11, 2020
By Sandy Foster of the Tribune
Faith has always been part of Skyler Starr’s life, but it is especially now as he works to recover from a horrible accident. “I rely on God every day,” he said of his rehabilitation and recovery process 212 miles from home. Skyler finds himself in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. “I’ve been here for about five weeks now,” he said in a recent interview.
Monday, February 17 was a beautiful day in Kansas City. The temperature hit a balmy 63 degrees with a lot of sun and not a lot of wind. A great day to take the motorcycle out, thought Skyler, 21, of Lee’s Summit.
And it was a great day too, until an underinsured motorist pulled out in front of him near TMC Lakewood. Fortunately, Skyler had the presence of mind to lay the bike down as opposed to slamming directly into the car. “I’ve been riding motorcycles for three years now and the decision to skid was more of a natural reaction.” That decision probably saved his life.
The two collided. Skyler’s dad, Jeremy Starr, a firefighter with KCFD, heard the sirens, and since Skyler had left the house so recently, he had a sinking feeling. Jeremy immediately began calling his son’s cell phone. Skyler’s helmet was equipped with Bluetooth, and so the calls were routed through to the helmet, but Skyler, who had four broken cervical vertebrae, a spinal cord injury, a broken rib and ankle along with multiple lacerations, was unable to answer.
He was taken to a local hospital where he underwent surgery and was inpatient 15 days. Once he was medically stable, he was transferred to Madonna Rehabilitation Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.
“The therapists and nursing staff are great,” Skyler said. He currently participates in one and a half hours of Occupational and Physical therapy each day. He also undergoes two, thirty-minute Recreational Therapy sessions each week and he attends a Spinal Cord Education Class as well.
When he first arrived at Madonna, Skyler had to lay down several times each day during therapy, because he just did not have enough energy to make it through the day’s work. Now things are different. “I’ve gotten stronger and am seeing improvement every day,” he said. “When I was inpatient in Independence, I only sat up twice in 15 days. Now I can sit up, move my right hand and fingers. I can feel my legs and am starting to be able to move the muscle on the inside of my right leg.”
Doctors aren’t sure what the prognosis is for Skyler’s recovery since injuries such as his can have varied outcomes. One thing is sure however, Skyler has always been a bit of an overachiever. “When he was in elementary school, he entered a regional swim meet and took second place. His dad and I were shocked! We had no idea he would do so well. When it was over, Skyler’s attitude was like, ‘Well, that was fun. Let’s move on to the next thing,’ and he has kept that attitude all through his life,” said his mother, Jennifer Marshall, attorney and owner of the Trust & Will Center of Lee’s Summit. “Skyler is working hard on his therapy every day and he has great determination,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer, Skyler’s sister and his girlfriend have all been living in Lincoln to be close to Skyler. “It’s important for us to be here and be able to support and encourage him,” Jennifer said. “We’ve been able to get in and see Skyler until recently when Madonna closed to all visitors due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I understand why they did that, but it’s very hard not being able to see my son and encourage him at this time in his life,” she said.
The hospital is working to keep patients connected and supported by offering to collaborate FaceTime and Zoom calls with family and friends. They also welcome flowers, greeting cards and mail be sent to patients as encouragement.
If you would like to help support Skyler, you can visit the Caring Bridge / Go Fund Me account that has been set up at https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/supportforsky/access/high. Funds raised will go toward medical costs, travel expenses, income loss and home adaptations.
A #SKYLERSTRONG fundraising store has been set up online as well. It is located at http://skylerstrong.deco-charity.com/ and there you can purchase wristbands, tee shirts and hoodies to join Skyler in his fight to rebuild his life.
You can use Caring Bridge to send well wishes, but to send physical items it would be Madonna’s address which is: Skyler Starr c/o Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, 5401 South Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68506
Skyler is a 2016 graduate of Lee’s Summit High School and a student at MidAmerica Nazarene College where he is studying Business Administration and Cybersecurity. He is also a Cybersecurity Intern at NAIC in Kansas City (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) and an Assistant Manager at Schlotzsky’s in Lee’s Summit.
