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In high school, lots of life-lessons are learned. Relationships come and go, championship games are won, while others are lost, there are proms and plays, band concerts, field trips, and the all-important driver’s ed. During those four years, teens experience many ‘firsts’ and lifetime friendships and memories most certainly are made.
Such was the case for 16-year-old Amber Pechal of Westphalia, Texas. She was enjoying all of the exciting times that came along with high school, including that of her first love…
A Great Student
In the midst of enjoying high school, Amber Pechal was faced with extreme tragedy. Amber was a great student who was immersed in school activities and social events. At 16, she met her first love, and they started dating. Regardless of her relationship, though, she continued to keep her priorities in check, devoting the majority of her time to her grades and schoolwork.
High School Romance
Four months before the most painful day of her life, Amber started dating a boy named Ty Ryan. It wasn’t too serious of a relationship, but they enjoyed spending time together and hanging out with their mutual friends. Soon, though, a devastating event would bind them together for life…
A Sweet Romance
Both Ty and Amber were good students, so regardless of their relationship status, they remained focused on school, friends, and their afterschool activities. They took things slow and shared a sweet relationship. They read each other’s favorite books, saw movies, and enjoyed typical high school events together. It was all they could as for their first real relationship…
Needing A Break
Because Ty and Amber were both very involved at their respective schools, they only got to see each other once a week. One day, Amber really needed a break from the stresses of her school work, so she reached out to Ty to see what he was up to…
Spontaneous Date
Amber sent a text to Ty to see if he was free that evening, a Thursday, to grab a bite to eat and spend some time together. They didn’t typically get together during the school week, but Amber was excited to see him spontaneously during the week. A nice with each other during their busy school schedules was much needed…
Thursday
Ty cleared his schedule, excited to see Amber so spontaneously. He waited for Amber’s call to confirm that she was ready to go. They planned to meet at 4, but they hadn’t exactly figured out what they were going to do yet…
Ready to Go
“I remember exactly what I had on that day, how I fixed my hair and exactly how excited I was to see my sweet boyfriend Ty for our evening,†described Amber. As per their plan, as soon as she was ready to go, she gave Ty a call to let him know. The phone rang and a strange voice picked up…
Forever Changed
Ty lived ten miles from Amber, so she called him to give him a heads up when she had arrived home from school. But when she made that phone call, the details she heard from the voice on the other end would change her life forever. Nothing would ever be the same…
4:16 PM
She called Ty at exactly 4:16 p.m. on November 6th, 2006. Someone answered, but it was an unfamiliar voice. Amber’s heart sunk, so much so, that her father asked her what was wrong…
Assistant Principal
Amber asked who the voice belonged to on the other end of Ty’s phone. “This is Ty’s assistant principal,” began the voice. Instantly, Amber wondered why the assistant principal was answering Ty’s phone. He wasn’t the kind of guy who got in trouble at school…
The News
The assistant principal began to speak again. “I just came upon a car accident on my way home. It’s Ty…” That was all she needed to hear. Amber froze in fear, too afraid of what the AP would say next. She started to panic…
Rushing to the Scene
Amber jumped in the car with her father, asking the AP to fill her in on what exactly had happened. Every second of the ride was unbearable. She ended the call with the AP and picked up the phone to make one of the hardest calls of her life…
Not Good
“I got in the truck and had to make the dreadful phone calls to his parents. I have only known them for 4 months and now I have to call them and say that their 17-year-old son is ‘not good’?†recalled Amber. She had no more details, though, and extreme panic set in as she and her father neared the scene…
On Scene
Amber phoned Ty’s parents, praying all the while that the accident she was about to see wouldn’t be that bad. His parents jumped in the car and rushed to the scene, too. But when Amber pulled up, she could not believe what she was seeing…
The Helicopter
“We pulled up to the scene and I jumped out as fast as my dad could stop the truck. One vehicle accident. Two ambulances. Multiple fire trucks and police cars. One helicopter. I repeat – one helicopter. It really was not good,†Amber recalled. She frantically searched the scene for Ty as emergency personnel swarmed Ty’s truck…
A Bent Piece of Metal and Glass
Ty’s truck was absolutely demolished. The rear tires were gone, and the body of the truck looked like a bent piece of flimsy metal. Amber tried her best to remain calm, but the idea that Ty was still inside, crushed, made her panic. She ran towards the car and looked for him frantically…
First Responders
When she finally spotted Ty, he was surrounded by paramedics. Ty laid on the ground, a pile of nearby ants biting him, and gave Amber a small grin “Hey Babe,” Ty said. The sight of his injured body made her shiver…
No Movement
The paramedics asked Ty to move his legs and feet, but there was no movement. A cop pulled her aside to get details about Ty from her, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of him, worried sick about how severe his injuries were…
Speechless
Her dad came over and took over for her in answering the officer’s questions. All she wanted was to be by Ty’s side. The sight of him scared her immensely. He was bleeding from his head and his legs were hardly recognizable. She did her best to remain calm, but she had a bad feeling about this…
Loose Lug Nuts
After investigating the crash, they discovered that the lug nuts on one of his tires had loosened sending his truck out of control. What could have been just a minor and quick fix, now jeopardized Ty’s life…
Worried Sick
Amber felt totally helpless. She knew there was really nothing she could do aside from being supportive and showing Ty all the love he needed right now. She couldn’t wrap her mind around how a fun mid-week date night has turned into such a nightmare, leaving Ty fighting for his life…
Medivac
The paramedics worked quickly, loading Ty onto the helicopter. They flew him to the nearest hospital where he was immediately taken to the E.R. Amber and her father jumped back in their car and rushed to the hospital to await the outcome…
Hospital Support
Amber and her father met Ty’s parents and friends at the hospital and waited for hours to hear about Ty’s condition. They were desperate for answers, any sign that Ty was alive. But it was hours before they heard a word about him. The doctor’s worked tirelessly to stabilize him…
Spinal Damage
“After hours of doctors and their medical team examining Ty, they have gathered us in a room to report their findings. Ty had suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury.” They weren’t sure what this meant for Ty, but the doctor’s revealed the painful truth…
Another Surgery
The doctor’s explained that they had stabilized Ty for the time being, but they would have to operate immediately to attempt to repair the spinal injury. They couldn’t say whether their efforts would save the use of his legs, but they intended to try their hardest…
Taking the Blame
Amber felt intense guilt. “I felt horrible and somewhat responsible,” she said. She played the days events over and over again in her mind, second-guessing her idea for a mid-week date night. She knew that her worry would not make things better, but the hours of waiting didn’t help her mind stop wandering…
A Long Night
In the wee hours of Friday morning, doctor’s began the 9-hour surgery to attempt to save Ty’s mobility and repair his spine. Everyone waited, staying at the hospital all night long together, praying and crossing their fingers for Ty. It was a long and horrible night…
The Best of the Best
Ty had the best surgeons available working on his injuries. Ty was young and healthy, and with his support team in the waiting room, they hoped and prayed that he would pull through. Whether the surgery worked or not wouldn’t be revealed until he woke post-op…
A Waiting Game
“Ty had one plate, two rods and 14 screws placed. The surgery went as planned, and we were just praying for the best. He remained sedated through the weekend to allow his body to rest and heal a little,” revealed Amber. She waited impatiently at home, staring at her phone when she wasn’t at the hospital. She visited daily, just waiting for the moment they would finally get some answers…
Returning to School
On Monday, Amber returned to school. Ty still hadn’t woken up and she needed something to keep her mind off of things. She could hardly concentrate in school, and when her phone rang towards the end of the day, she was a little afraid of what she would hear. “He’s awake,” his parents told her, and he was asking for Amber…
Emotional Moment
“I made it to his ICU unit and locked eyes with him again, finally,” explained Amber. She was overcome with emotion. Ty was awake! Now, she would find out if the long surgery was successful…
Seeing Him Smile
“He was smiling, and I could not control my tears. His face and hair still had dirt mixed with some dried blood and he had not brushed his teeth in 4 days, but I kissed him anyway,” Amber said. He looked so much better than the last time she had seen him awake at the scene of the accident…
Totally in Love
“It was in that moment, that I truly knew I loved him and was really in love with him,” said Amber. The boy she started dating casually at 16 years old was now the love of her life. Sadly, the doctor’s did not have great news…
A Stay in the ICU
Ty would stay in the ICU for the next six weeks. Doctor’s monitored his progress and Ty kept busy with therapy and working on his school assignments. They tried their best to keep things feeling normal around him, but many things were quite different now…
Growing Up Fast
The accident forced Ty and Amber to grow up quickly. They had a new lease on life, even if things weren’t exactly normal. They learned to value each moment together more than most teens, and even though their stresses had only just begun, they were determined to face everything together with a positive attitude…
Embracing Life
Even though things were not the way they had been before the accident, they tried to keep some things normal. For example, they never missed a weekend date night. As the years went on, the reality of Ty’s new normal set in. He was wheelchair bound for life. He had no movement or feeling below the chest…
A New Normal
Ty and Amber adapted to Ty’s new life. Ty couldn’t do a lot of things that teens and young men his age could, but they were determined to create a life together that would still feel full and happy. He needed help getting in an out of cars, he couldn’t use the restroom like everyone else, and he was on more medications than most humans would be on throughout their whole lives, but one thing still remained the same…
The Same Heart
What didn’t change was Ty’s patience, kindness, and overall loving personality. Over the years, their love just continued to blossom. In 2008, they attended college together and worked and tried their best to keep things feeling normal. Then, one day, things finally turned around…
A Huge Wedding
On December 18, 2009, Ty asked for Amber’s hand in marriage—she was overjoyed. A year and a half later, they were married in Ty’s hometown church surrounded by over 1,000 guests. They were just missing one thing now…
Baby Fever
After they were married, they dreamed of being parents, but after 8 months of trying for a baby, they could not get pregnant. Surprisingly, after testing they discovered that it was Amber who had trouble conceiving. She felt like she had let Ty down…
The Diagnosis
Amber’s doctors diagnosed her with PCOS and after five years of therapy and medication, they were still unable to get pregnant. They didn’t let that stop them, though. Amber and Ty decided they would adopt. They were thrilled when they got the call that a baby boy was looking for a loving family. After a year of enjoying baby Tucker, they wanted to make sure he had a sibling to grow up with…
A New Option
While they hadn’t had any luck with fertility treatments the first time around, Amber phoned her doctor to see if any new procedures or options were available to them. To her surprise, there was a new procedure that she was a great candidate for, and they went for it…
The Miracle
After the procedure, Amber announced the good news, “Here I am now 8 months pregnant with a precious baby boy that is due in December! We are feeling extremely grateful for His goodness and loving us through all of our doubts of His perfect plan.” They couldn’t wait to welcome their second child to the world, their miracle baby…
Baby #2
After giving birth to their second son, Amber said, “Is our life perfect? No way, far from it. But at the end of the day, we are healthy, grateful and loved. What more can you ask for?” To celebrate how far they had come since that terrible accident at 16, they shared the sweetest family photo…
The Ryans Family
The Ryans family posed for an adorable family photo to celebrate the life they were grateful to have together. From tragedy, they found strength, faith, and a whole lot of love.