A RECOVERY NO ONE EXPECTED

There is a long list of people who didn’t expect Tyler Maas-Schlie to survive the head-on crash he was involved in last November in Dodge County.

First, emergency responders didn’t think Maas-Schlie would live. Then came the doctors at Mayo Clinic. And rounding out that list were family and friends.

“Doctors didn’t expect him to survive,” said Lillian Katzung, Maas-Schlie’s mother. “He has overcome so many things that would kill the average person.”

Asked if she is surprised her son survived, Katzung responded: “We all are.”

To start with he was in coma for weeks and went through 12 brain surgeries and procedures as well as one surgery on his hip.

But after fighting for months, including five months at a neurological facility in Iowa, Maas-Schlie finally returned to his Owatonna home in August. Though he’s not the same person as he was before the Nov. 29 crash, he is making incredible strides toward regaining his freedom once again.

Over the past 10 months, Maas-Schlie has racked up more than $4 million in medical bills. Luckily, the family has medical insurance that covers most of the medical expenses, but there are some things that aren’t covered.

Like front teeth. The crash knocked out three of Maas-Schlie’s teeth.

Family and friends are holding a spaghetti dinner benefit for Maas-Schlie Saturday at the Knights of Columbus in Owatonna in hopes of raising $20,000 for massive dental work. He will need a bone graft and four implants to bring back his smile with teeth once again.

“Insurance doesn’t deem it medically necessary,” Katzung said of her son’s teeth. “It’s considered cosmetic, and we have to pay out of pocket,” she added.

Katzung said she has her “fingers crossed” that the family will hit the $20,000 goal. “Whatever we get, we will be grateful for those who support us,” she says. “It has been a heck of a journey… one I don’t wish for any parent to go through.”

‘He’s a mess’

Even though Maas-Schlie is back home, the battle is long from over. In fact, it will haunt him for the rest of his life. His mother doesn’t mince words when talking about his condition.

“He’s a mess,” Katzung said.

While confined to a wheelchair at least at this time, he has to be constantly supervised. He wears a brace on his knee twice a day for 1½ hours at a time in an effort to straighten his leg. “He has to make it comfortably uncomfortable,” Katzung said, adding he has to tighten it to the point of feeling pain, but not being tormented.

Currently, he is on various pain medications. “He has constant pain,” Katzung said. “I would just be grateful if he has less pain,” she added.

Surgery will take place in November where doctors will shave off bone spurs from his hip. A nerve specialist will be involved in that surgery to move the sciatic nerve, which is the largest in the body and is formed by the union of five nerve roots from the lower spine.

Maas-Schlie, 19, suffered multiple traumatic brain injuries as a result of the crash. The brain injuries have left him partially deaf on the right side. He also suffers “age regression,” which occurs when someone reverts to a younger state of mind.

Katzung said she really can’t identify a specific age that Maas-Schlie acts like because sometimes he’s like a 10 year old, then a 14 year old and other times even older. Developmentally, she said, he has mostly been what she considers pre-teen. She hopes it will get gradually better as time goes on.

“When he looks at me, I see an older man,” she said. “Your brain goes to where it felt safest.”

With the brain injury, he will face mental challenges for the rest of his life. He is certified as disabled, and Katzung will be his legal guardian.

She and her husband, Corey Katzung, were preparing to be empty nesters as Maas-Schlie had planned to go into the U.S. Navy.

“It’s God’s way that he won’t come home in a casket (from serving in the Navy),” Katzung said. “He may be with us for the rest of his life, and I’m okay with that.”

Having Maas-Schlie around all the time, Katzung said, is better than the alternative. “It’s better than visiting his grave. We’re adjusting to having him around all the time. It’s just like having a baby where you have to have the essentials.”

Maas-Schlie requires hands-on care, including bathing, dressing and other personal care.

Katzung has been working remotely for Josten’s in Owatonna. Since the crash, she has only missed a single week of work where she didn’t get paid.

He often wheels himself into her makeshift office to watch her work.

“I’m blessed that I have a job that I can work from home so I can give him the care,” she said.

Katzung hopes her son will be able to walk again by Christmas.

While Maas-Schlie’s body is constantly in pain, he’s grateful for one thing.

“I’m just happy to be alive,” he said.

A miracle

From the time Katzung saw Maas-Schlie in the emergency room, she knew the odds were against him.

“I went into the ER and leaned over to tell him now is the time to fight and he fought,” said Katzung.

Katzung said it’s a miracle that her son survived the crash.

After battling for months, there came a point in February when she didn’t believe Maas-Schlie would live any longer.

“I was close to having last rights over him,” Katzung said. “It’s tough as a parent to tell your child it’s okay to let go.”

When asked what changed after she gave him permission to die, Katzung said: “His will to live.”

Just a few months ago, Maas-Schlie shared with his mother that God had plans for him. He told her: “I was in my car dying mom, and I felt something wrapped around me. I knew I would be okay.”

And she was by his side as much as possible through the entire ordeal.

“Watching the hell he went through, I can’t imagine,” Katzung said, noting there are certain details she has never shared even with her husband. “I told him that I didn’t want him to give up.

As Katzung shared details about the journey her family has been through, she broke down in tears saying the experience has been “humbling.”

“You realize who your friends are and you realize that life is short,” she said. “I’ve learned the fight you get into with your kid or husband is not worth it. It’s pretty humbling and puts a whole new dynamic on your relationships.”

She also shared how this entire ordeal was beyond anyone’s control.

“It’s not our plan,” Katzung said. “It’s God’s plan, and we are just along for the ride.”

God has become an integral part of the recovery process for Maas-Schlie and the rest of the family.

“This has reaffirmed my faith in God. It can either destroy your family or make it stronger,” she said, noting it has been the latter for them. “Something good is going to happen out of this, but I don’t know what it is.”

Katzung hopes to write a book some day about the crash and her son’s subsequent recovery.

Mangled wreckage

Maas-Schlie doesn’t remember the crash that took place on a rural road near Hayfield. His vehicle collided head-on with a pick-up.

However, within the past few months, Maas-Schlie went to the Dodge County Impound with his mother to view the mangled wreckage of the car he was driving.

And his reaction?

“The words out of his mouth were, ‘How am I still alive?’” Katzung said.

And her response back to him?

“By the grace of God, child.”

The family is still waiting to find out the outcome of the investigation by the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office.

Katzung has already been reaching out to educate others about what can happen while driving. She spoke earlier this year at Adams High School for Toward Zero Deaths, a statewide coalition to eliminate serious injuries and crashes on roadways. She hopes to do more speaking in the future.

Special bond

Katzung said she has always shared a special bond with her son.

As a recovering drug addict, Katzung credits Maas-Schlie with helping her get straight. She gave up the drug scene when she became pregnant with him.

“He was a big motivation for me cleaning up,” she said. “It’s Tyler who saved me.”

During that time, she also reaffirmed her faith. And now God has played a key role in saving Maas-Schlie, she said.

The family attends New Life Church in Owatonna.

“You always hold out hope that your child will come through. You will beg and plead with God.”

Tyler Maas-Schlie Benefit

What: Spaghetti Dinner, bake sale, silent auction

When: Saturday, 4-8 p.m.

Where: Knights of Columbus, 820 S. Elm Ave., Owatonna

Cost: $10 per person