A man who was cut in half by a forklift truck in 2019 has revealed a heartbreaking aspect about his life following the devastating accident.
Loren Schauers narrowly avoided a grisly death when the forklift he was driving veered off a bridge in the US and plummeted 50ft down to the ground.
Pinned beneath the vehicle, Loren gave his permission for hemicorporectomy surgery to be carried out - which meant the amputation of everything below the waist - saying it was 'basically a choice of living or dying'.
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He also lost his right arm in the horrific accident, and his condition was so severe that his wife Sabia was told he wouldn't survive and said her goodbyes to him a total of six times.
Horrifyingly, Loren revealed he had been 'conscious throughout everything', including the moment the forklift fell on him.
Since his accident and beating the odds by surviving, he's been keeping people posted on how he's doing with his life thanks to regular updates on social media and YouTube.
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In his videos, he's shown how he showers and elsewhere, he's explained how he handles trips to the bathroom with no lower half of the body.
However, in a recent update, Loren posted about something saddening as he took to Facebook asking if anyone else found it difficult to make friends.
He wrote: "Am I the only one who finds it difficult to make friends? I’m never really busy doing anything, just don’t know who to hit up and let into my life.
"Also, been betrayed by so many 'friends' in so many ways that I might have trust issues letting people into my life, not stealing from me, taking advantage of whatever they can, stuff like that.
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"I know it’s dumb to make it out into a Facebook post but hey! If anyone is looking for a friend! I’m always free and need to mend some friends.
"Haven’t hung out with anyone that isn’t family in over a year it feels like lol. HMU!"
In the past, Loren has opened up about being 'disappointed' with some of his friends as they'd 'totally reverted and have been reclusive' since his accident, though on a more positive note he said 'a couple of friends came out of the woodworks and have been really supportive'.
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Fortunately, in his search for new friends the internet has done something good as a plethora of people got in touch to say they'd like to be friends with Loren.
If you're feeling lonely and reckon you're struggling to make friends, it might be worth following Loren's example and speaking out about it, you might just find that more folks than you expected would love to be your friend.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.
Topics: US News, Facebook, Social Media, Health