Chesterfield man hospitalized in Lithuania after swimming accident

LITHUANIA (WWBT) – A Chesterfield man is recovering in a Lithuanian hospital after struggling a extreme harm from a swimming accident within the Baltic Sea on July 19.

“Right now, I mean, I’m just kind of stressed out, ready to be home,” stated Eric Jessee from his hospital room in Lithuania on Thursday. “God works miracles, and the fact that I’m sitting here talking to you is a miracle.”

The Chesterfield man was on a mission journey with Kingsland Baptist Church in Lithuania when a day on the seaside took an sudden flip.

“I ended up being the first one to go in the water, and I dove into a swell, like if you were at the Outer Banks,” stated Jessee. “I hit something in the water and shattered my C5 vertebra.”

The 23-year-old stated he practically drowned after the accident left him paralyzed.

“I was kind of distraught, like scared in that exact moment, not knowing what was going on,” he stated. “My legs were numb and my hands were balled up like this.”

Jessee stated his pals helped him get out of the water and held his neck in place for 45 minutes till an ambulance arrived. The 23-year-old went by surgical procedure and spent between three to 4 days within the ICU, the place he realized concerning the severity of his harm.

“My whole entire C5 was pretty much just destroyed,” he stated. “It’s the kind of injury that causes sudden death; there’s no way that I should’ve made it out of the water, is what my surgeon said.”

This second marked the beginning of a protracted street to restoration.

“I have slight movement in both of my legs, so I have hope to walk again, but it’s still too early to really know,” stated Jessee.

Jessee is determined to proceed his medical care again in Central Virginia.

The 23-year-old stated Anthem accepted all the things, however stated the insurance coverage firm has left them at nighttime concerning the precise timeline of when he will likely be transferred to VCU Medical Center.

“We haven’t been given a timeline,” stated Jennifer Jesse, Eric’s mom. “We’ve been told things were approved, and then it was just the hospital stay, not air transport. The list goes on, and on, and on.”

Jennifer Jessee has been by her son’s aspect within the hospital, attempting to get solutions from the insurance coverage firm concerning the switch’s standing.

“I just need somebody to care enough to tell me when I can tell my son we’re going home,” she stated.

While the household waits for readability, Jessee is leaning on his religion to beat this troublesome time.

“God was with me in that moment, and God is still with me in this moment and every moment,” he instructed 12 On Your Side. “I could sit here and question it all day long about why it happened to me, but it’s not going to get me anywhere. I just put my faith in God that everything is going to be ok.”

12 On Your Side reached out to Anthem for remark. Just earlier than 4 p.m., a spokesperson for Anthem instructed 12 On Your Side {that a} crew is wanting into this case and is working to get data.

Victoria Harrington, Eric’s grandmother, additionally instructed 12 On Your Side that hundreds of individuals have been praying for her grandson and asks everybody to proceed to hope for his restoration.

Kingsland Baptist Church has additionally began a fundraiser to assist Eric Jessee and his household. To donate to this fundraiser, click on this link, click on on the drop-down menu and choose “Eric Jessee Fund” as the choice to your donation.

12 On Your Side+

Here’s our full interview with Eric Jessee and his mom, Jennifer:

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