Saturday auction raises money for Ruckmans

Posted 9/22/15

Bob visited Las Vegas in March 2014, and “when he got back from his trip, we were going to start building (a home). We already had people lined out,” Brenda said. “That’s when he had his wreck.”

That crash now has the Ruckmans trading …

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Saturday auction raises money for Ruckmans

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Proceeds help Powell man with medical costs after spinal cord injury

When Bob and Brenda Ruckman returned to their hometown of Powell in 2011, they had plans. They were going to build a new home on the Willwood and Bob was going to start a woodworking business.

Bob visited Las Vegas in March 2014, and “when he got back from his trip, we were going to start building (a home). We already had people lined out,” Brenda said. “That’s when he had his wreck.”

That crash now has the Ruckmans trading their original plans for a new one: helping Bob recover from a severe spinal cord injury.

On Saturday, the Ruckmans will sell many of their tools, equipment and other belongings to help pay for five weeks of intensive therapy for Bob at Craig Hospital in Colorado (see Benefit auction below).

Eventually, the couple also will sell their property on the Willwood and move into town.

While it’s not what the Ruckmans had in mind for their retirement, they’re trusting God has a plan.

“He knows there’s something else I’m supposed to do, or else I would have died,” Bob said.

‘Yeah, I’m alive’

On the evening of March 20, 2014, Bob had turned off I-80 and was outside Green River on his way back to Powell. He glanced down at the speedometer, saw he was going 63 miles per hour, then looked back at the road. What happened next is unclear — a lot of things were strange about the accident, Brenda said.

Bob recalls something coming at him from the side.

“So I swerved a little bit,” Bob recalls. “The front wheels never left the pavement, but the right rear wheel did. It flipped that F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab sideways, and I rolled it three times.”

The truck was still running when it came to rest about 30 feet off the highway.

“The seat belt came up over the top of my head and when it came back over, it detached part of my ear,” he said. “They think that’s probably when my neck broke.”

Bob watched seven vehicles drive by without stopping.

“I was awake, and I reached up and turned the lights on,” he said. “When cars drove by, I pulled myself up by the steering wheel, but I was very frustrated because my legs wouldn’t move. I couldn’t figure out why.”

Then two people stopped, both of whom were EMTs.

“The first words I heard were, ‘Are you alive?’” Bob said. “I said, ‘Yeah, I’m alive.’”

After the man called 911, Bob asked him to call Brenda.

From the hospital in Rock Springs, he was flown to Billings, and doctors said he had a 2 percent chance of living through the flight, Brenda said.

He made it to Billings and soon underwent surgery. Bob’s neck was broken at the C7 vertebrae and about 80 percent of his spinal cord was severed.

“With the extent of my injuries, the doctor said I would never walk,” Bob said. “I’ll never forget it.” The doctor told Bob he needed to realize he would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

“I said, ‘I hear what you’re saying — however, it’s not in your hands, and it’s not in mine either,’” Bob said.

Long road to recovery

Following two weeks in the intensive care unit, Bob started therapy. For a time, he couldn’t get into his wheelchair or out of bed without assistance. “Mentally, it was pretty rough,” he said.

Bob suffered from spasms in his back that went down through his legs, causing severe pain. The spasms started each night around 9 p.m. and lasted until 4 a.m.

“I used to sit and watch the clock all night long. It was so painful — they gave me morphine; they tried everything,” he said.

One nurse spent hours just holding his hand as he endured the pain.

“The doctors said there was nothing they could do for me, that it was going to be that way for the rest of my life,” he said.

Bob began to give up hope.

Knowing something was wrong, the Ruckmans’ friends Glen and Maryanne Schultz came to visit Bob. 

“Maryanne said a prayer. In less than 15 minutes, the spasms stopped, and I never had another spasm for over 14 days — none,” Bob said. “A lot of people don’t believe in miracles, but I do today.”

“There have been a lot of miracles in the past year-and-a-half,” Brenda said.

Among the miracles: Bob can now stand up on his own and walk.

The most he has walked without assistance is 85 steps, Brenda said.

Bob said walking more would be wonderful, but he also hopes to regain more of his hand strength and motor skills.

“My goal is for my hands to work,” Bob said.

Bob is skilled in wood turning, a form of woodworking. Before his accident, he planned to start a wood-turning business here, making urns, bowls and other objects. He had thousands of dollars worth of wood, tools and equipment to start the business, which the couple decided to sell to help pay for his time at Craig Hospital, which specializes in spinal cord injuries. 

“I’ve got these assets, and I’m going to put them toward paying for it,” Bob said.

On Nov. 15, Bob will begin five weeks of intensive therapy at Craig Hospital.

Following a spinal cord injury, “they figure you have an 18- to 24-month window to make as much progress as you can,” Brenda said.

Bob is approaching that mark.

“The most gain is in those months, so the doctor wanted to put him on the fast track,” she said.

Bob was screened in May, and the doctor said he believes he can make good progress.

“That gave us great hope, that if he sees the opportunity for improvement, I think we need to take advantage of it,” Brenda said.

During his months of therapy since the accident, Bob has maintained a positive spirit, which also is key to his recovery, she said.

“He’s got a great attitude, and he works hard at therapy,” Brenda said.

Stubbornness is part of it, too, Bob said.

“If you don’t have self motivation, you’re not going to make it,” he said.

Friends are planning a separate fundraiser/raffle to help the family with medical costs. The couple is still working with insurance companies to settle all of the medical bills since the accident, which will likely total $2 million, Brenda said.

The couple is thankful for the support of their family, friends, church and community.

From the time of the accident, hundreds of people prayed for the Ruckmans and showed their support.

“We’ve had so many prayer warriors,” Brenda said. “It’s amazing how many people prayed and prayed and prayed the whole time.”

A benefit auction for Bob and Brenda Ruckman will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at their property on the Willwood, 1292 Road 6. A large selection of woodworking tools will be sold, along with furniture, equipment and other household and recreational items.

Proceeds from the sale will help pay for Bob’s intensive therapy at Craig Hospital, including out-of-pocket medical costs and a handicap-accessible apartment while he is there.

The auction is being conducted by Lloyd’s Auction Service. For more information, call 307-568-2674.

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