In a tale of unimaginable resilience and strength, Loren Schauers, a young man from Montana, U.S.A., has answered the one question everyone is always asking. Loren's life took a dramatic turn in September 2019, when a horrific accident changed everything.
Loren was working as a laborer, driving a forklift, when he plummeted off the side of a bridge, falling over 50 feet to the ground below. The impact was devastating, resulting in the lower half of his body and one of his arms being severely crushed by the industrial truck. Despite the severity of his injuries, Loren managed to avoid death, but his life would never be the same.
To save his life, Loren underwent a rare and complex procedure known as a hemicorporectomy, or trans-lumbar amputation. This procedure involves amputating the lower half of the body, including the bony pelvis, pelvic contents, lower extremities, and external genitalia. Loren also had to amputate his arm, which had been squashed in the accident.
Speaking to RTL 4, Loren recounted the moment when doctors gave him a choice: "The question was, do you want to live or die? Do you want to live with the situation now or die with the life you had?" Faced with this unimaginable decision, Loren chose life, despite the profound changes it would bring.
Although his condition has undoubtedly impacted him, Loren hasn't let it stop him from living his life. He and his wife, Sabia, document their journey on YouTube, where they have over 639,000 subscribers. Through their videos, the couple shares their plans for the future, which include traveling and starting a family.
In one Q&A, Loren was asked if his friends still treat him the same way they did before the accident. He admitted he was "a little disappointed" by some of them. "A couple of friends came out of the woodworks and have been really supportive, [others] totally reverted and have been reclusive," he said. "But it's whatever to me, you know, I got Sabia, that's all I need." Sabia agreed, adding, "Going through this together has definitely strengthened a lot of the aspects of our relationship."
As their channel has grown in popularity, it has led to more intrusive questions about the couple's personal life following Loren's procedure, such as their sex life. Addressing this frequently asked question, Sabia told the Daily Star, "A question we get repeatedly is, 'How do we have sex and how do we become intimate?'" Firmly, she continued, "That is a very personal question that we are never going to answer or allude to, as it's very disrespectful. You wouldn't ask a random couple on the street how they have sex and just because our life circumstances are different, it doesn't give people the right to ask."
Loren is often also asked how he uses the bathroom, a question he has happily answered. In a YouTube Q&A, he explained, "A colostomy which is my colon pulled out of my body so I can poop. And I have bilateral nephrectomies, they're tubes that go into my kidneys that drain my kidneys into bags so, therefore, that is how I poop, pee, and fart." A colostomy is an opening in the large intestines or a surgical procedure that creates one, per Johns Hopkins Medicine. Sabia changes Loren's colostomy bag daily and also showers him.
Loren Schauers' story is one of incredible resilience, love, and determination. Despite the unimaginable challenges he has faced, Loren continues to live his life to the fullest, supported by his loving wife, Sabia. Their journey serves as a powerful reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the importance of love and support in overcoming life's greatest obstacles.
