Niamh Spence
The wife of a man horrifically injured after a forklift accident has made a special and touching vow as the couple celebrate their second wedding anniversary.
Sabia Schauers-Reiche married Loren Schauers in February 2021, almost two years after he suffered injuries from an accident that meant he needed an amputation from the waist down.
Despite the life changing injuries, the couple have vowed to celebrate life, as Sabia shared snaps from their wedding day in a heartfelt social media post which read: "02/28. 2 years married to my best friend. Let’s make it 70 more."
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Labourer Loren was devastatingly injured while working on a bridge with a forklift in September 2019 in Montana, USA.
Oncoming traffic forced Loren to the edge of the bridge before he fell over 50 feet. If this wasn't life threatening enough, the forklift then fell on him, crushing his legs and forearm.
Rushed to hospital, doctors battled to save his life, but were left with the agonising decision to perform hemicorporectomy surgery, which involved amputating everything below the waist for Loren.
Despite the major surgery, doctors still didn't feel confident that Loren would survive for long as they gave a life expectancy of just a few months after surgery.
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Defying their expectations, Loren has gone on to thrive and now spends his days creating YouTube content alongside wife Sabia as the couple share their daily routines living with Loren's disability.
One part of their life that attracts huge interest is whether the couple, in their 20s, have a sex life and how they manage that with Loren's amputation.
During his accident, Loren's lower half was so badly crushed he needed the bottom half of his body to be amputated in surgery, including the removal of his genitals.
In a recent Q&A on YouTube, the couple said they love the life they share, but were getting fed up of being quizzed over the intimate details of their relationship.
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Sabia explained: "That is a very personal question that we are never going to answer or allude to as it's very disrespectful.
"You wouldn't ask a random couple on the street how they have sex and just because our life circumstances are different, it doesn't give people the right to ask."
The couple have shared brief details about the idea of having children, but revealed that heartbreakingly it wasn't likely.
Doctors did apparently try to save some of his sperm, but gave up after difficulties in the process as they claimed it wasn't 'viable'.
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The couple have also been honest about what their life could look like going forward, as Loren's life expectancy remains uncertain.
Sabia shared: "The average is about 11 years and the record-holder was 24 years. But none of them were in the same situation as Loren.
"If we go off of that we are hoping Loren has 40-plus years left with us."
Speaking on a GoFundMe to raise money for a bionic arm for Loren, he wrote: "This fight has been a crazy one. I’m happy to say though that I have a million and one people backing me and rooting me on to keep fighting! I love and appreciate you all! Words don’t do any of you all justice."