A man who survived a 50ft drop and had to have everything below his waist amputated - as well as part of his right arm - has spoken out about how he hopes to change his life
When US man Loren Schauers was involved in a terrible accident it changed his life forever, but five years later he's hoping to make one change which could help him live a longer and more fulfilling life.
Loren was just 18-years-old when he was involved in a devastating accident while driving a forklift truck across a bridge. Although he survived being cut in half, life has been far from easy. The survivor has set up a YouTube channel with his wife Sabia Reiche and is documenting his recovery - recently revealing how he hopes to make a big lifestyle change that could improve his chance of survival.
Surviving such an horrific accident is no easy feat but knowing how slim his chances of survival are, brave Loren has shared how he hopes to make his life more comfortable. When asked by viewers 'what would you change about yourself' Loren told his fans that he's having exercise equipment installed so that he can 'work on my physical therapy' and that he'd like to give up smoking.
"I’d like to quit my smoking habit, obviously, because I’m mainly all lungs now," Loren said. "That way I could prolong my life longer than it's already been shortened to, given my situation. I wish I could quit."
And apart from being healthier, Loren also said how he wanted to "be a better person too, in the way I treat and speak to people." Loren and Sabia have previously talked about his life expectancy and how much time he might have left. Sabia said: "That one is so touch and go, there's no, you know, for sure. In the recorded cases, I believe the average was about 11 years and the record holder was at about 24 years. But none of them were in the same situation as Loren.
"The closest one to Loren's situation, age, health, all of that was the one who lived about 24 years. So, if we go off of that, you know, we are hoping Loren has, you know, 40-plus years left with us. So, that one is really hard to answer because his case is so rare. Because his case is so rare, it's hard to pinpoint."
Five years on from the accident, Loren does say that at least his pain is becoming more manageable through rehab techniques he’s been taught by his doctors but he feels like him and his wife’s life has changed so much that ‘we’re just existing’.
"My pain is definitely more under control now, my health is a little wild and out of control,” he said. "Me and Sabia are doing great. We don't get out much. We went to Lollapalooza in Chicago and had a great time obviously. She's reading her books, I'm watching my TV shows…we're just existing."