Wetzels credit prayer for remarkable recovery

By Tomi Henderson
Special to the Pioneer Times
    MARS HILL — Home again, home again, Jiggity Jig!!!  Zane Wetzel may not be up to dancing a jig just yet, but he and his wife Courtney are very happy to be home in Mars Hill again.
    Following his “electrical flash burn” accident on Oct. 12, 2010, it seemed like the clock, and the calendar, stood still a lot of the time for Zane, a Maine Public Service lineman. For over a month, he was kept under sedation as the burns, covering over 50 percent of his body, started healing. He underwent numerous skin grafts and has had a few releases done on scarred areas.
Photo courtesy of Tomi Henderson
ON ROAD TO RECOVERY — Courtney and Zane Wetzel, pictured here, are glad to be home in Mars Hill, following Zane’s months of hospitalization in Boston following an accident last fall. Zane was working for Maine Public Service when he was accidentally electrocuted and subsequently rushed to Boston for treatment. He was officially discharged and allowed to return home the last week of January, arriving in Mars Hill to a warm welcome with about 200 people turning out to greet the couple.
    Once Zane was conscious again, he showed his inner strength and determination by getting back on his feet a lot sooner than any of his medical team expected. Within a week he was up and walking laps around the nurses’ station several times a day!
    Zane and Courtney were both able to spend a lot of time reflecting on the many ways that their Lord and Savior took care of them through this entire episode. Stan Hartin, Zane’s father-in-law — who also works for MPS — was at his side within a couple of minutes of the accident. Zane was at the hospital within a very short time of the accident happening and came into the emergency room where Paula, his mother-in-law, was on duty as an RN. Courtney works near the hospital and was by his side within minutes. 
    The blessings just kept on coming — Zane was stabilized and flown to Boston so that he arrived at Brigham and Women’s burn unit within five hours of the accident. A regular flight was also scheduled to depart from Presque Isle to Boston with just enough time for Courtney and her folks to run home and pack a quick bag. They arrived in Boston at almost the same time that Zane did!
    After spending two months and four days in that hospital and at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Zane was able to move into the local apartment that Courtney had rented in the area. He would go to rehab each day for therapy, but they could get out and spend time in the Boston area. They also were able to go see Zane’s family in Ohio over a long weekend and come home over Christmas to spend the holidays with their friends and family members.
    Once they got the go-ahead to come home for good — after being in Boston for three and a half months — they didn’t take long to get ready. They packed (and packed, and packed!) their Civic on Jan. 28 and headed home from Boston. The parking attendants at the apartment complex were amazed at the amount of things that Courtney managed to stuff into the car. They shook their heads when she brought down the second cartload, but were downright astonished when she went back for the third!
    The couple enjoyed a homecoming party on Jan. 29, when 200 friends, family members and “prayer warriors” stopped by to welcome them home. They were very happy to meet some of their new friends that had been in prayer on their behalf.
    It shouldn’t surprise any believer that the Lord that watches over each sparrow can handle all the circumstances in each of our lives, note the Wetzels. Zane and Courtney certainly have a lot to tell folks about the way the Lord took care of them through this time. They are both avid believers in the power of the Lord and are willing to accept God’s timing in Zane’s healing process. They attribute Zane’s healing to the power of prayer and are very thankful to all who went to the Lord on their behalf.
    Zane will be going to physical therapy five days a week at County Physical Therapy in Presque Isle and will have Courtney’s help on the weekends with his stretching. Adam Simoes from CPT went to Boston to learn how to do the special therapy needed for Zane’s recovery. Adam and Paul Marquis will be handling Zane’s occupational and physical therapy in Presque Isle.
    Zane wears special compression garments for most of the day to keep the scar tissue down. He and Courtney will be going back to Boston for follow-up appointments in March. His right hand is still healing and his hearing has been affected, especially in his right ear. Zane may need a couple more surgeries in the future, but they are trusting the Lord to continue to care for them in all things, noting “God is good — all the time.”