Support Dylan Jakscht’s Recovery

On Monday, June 7th, after a beautiful day filled with love and time spent catching up as a family, an evening of sunset watching by Booth Lake turned into a life-changing event. While going for a swim, Dylan dove in head first hitting his head directly on the bottom of the lake’s surface. He fractured his neck and was immediately paralyzed from the shoulders down. He was rushed to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, where he was stabilized and then had a 6 hour surgery the next night to fix his fractured C3 and C4 vertebrae. He received a glimmer of hope in the news that his spinal cord was not completely severed, however it is severely bruised. He is currently in the neurological ICU and we have all been astonished by his progress and fight.

He has been transitioned from the ventilator to a tracheostomy. Dylan can mouth words but is still requiring machine assistance for breathing, as he fights off pneumonia from aspirated lake water. His respiratory function is showing signs of improvement. He can now perform brief periods of breathing on his own! He still has no motor function in his arms or legs. We are uncertain how much movement he will be able to regain over time, if any.

By the grace of God, he did not suffer any brain damage and is as coherent and smart of a kid as ever. He will be in the ICU for a while until his lungs recover and he is able to breathe on his own. He will then have a long road ahead of months to maybe even years of rehabilitation. He is proving to be even more of a strong, determined, and highly motivated young man than we ever thought possible. One thing is certain, this kid is exceptional and if anybody can beat this, it’s Dylan. We are so very proud of him and we have the utmost faith in God that he will make it through this. The road to recovery will be long and hard- emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially. Unfortunately, the medical bills will undoubtedly add up and we ask for your support through this difficult time.

Dylan is a  20 year old boy, who is extremely active. A graduate of East Troy High School, Dylan had plans to return to the college at the University of Milwaukee with aspirations of owning his own business. 

Please keep Dyl in your prayers.