I look forward to sharing with you all our story and what led us to where we are today. Homesteading has really changed our lives for the better. It has strengthened our family and has helped grow a deeper understand for life and purpose. It reminds us to savor the small things in life and give thanks for the wonders around us.

My husband, Jon Schumacher, was on his second deployment to Afghanistan when he stepped on a IED on foot patrol. Our son and I were building care packages for Jon and his buddies, like we did every Sunday. This was not the first time by husband was hit by an IED, but it was the first one that required a phone call from someone other then him. After the Marine introduced himself, my heart sank because I knew. I asked him to repeat the information over and over so I could process the information. He informed me that he was unable to reach Jon’s parents, so I tasked myself with that job. The casualty report was emailed to me and there was nothing I could do but wait and stay calm since I was 34 weeks pregnant at that time.

This was the information we later received regarding that horrific day: Marine Corporal Jonathan Schumacher was on his second deployment when he suffered the traumatic amputations of both of his legs and amputations on his left hand in an IED blast in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on October 30, 2011. While on a dismounted patrol, Cpl Schumacher stepped on a buried IED along a tree line. Originally sent to support another squad that had identified multiple IED’s, Cpl Schumacher was the 7th Marine in a group of 8 Marines who crossed a muddy field and had come upon a second tree line while on their way to question individuals who had been seen with weapons in the area. After stepping on the buried IED, Jon did not immediately know the damage caused by the blast. As his squad risked their lives while rendering lifesaving aid, he tried to assist them by verbally setting up security to prepare for the MEDEVAC. With Jon alerting his Marines to areas where he believed they would encounter additional IED’s, they rushed him to the helicopter. (It was later discovered that Cpl Schumacher was correct in his assumption of where additional IED’s were buried, no doubt saving others from harm.) Under enemy rifle and machine gun fire, Cpl Schumacher was brought to the landing zone and airlifted to Camp Bastion where he endured the first of many surgeries.

I was honored to read about what he and his fellow Marines did that day, but I wasn’t shocked. Jon was the Marine that everyone talked about. He was an exemplary leader and was highly respected by those above and below his rank. I have heard hundreds of stories regarding the impact Jon had on his peers.I cannot tell you what that next week was like for Jon. I spent so much time calling each hospital as he was transitioned from one to the next before arriving in Germany. Unfortunately, after arriving in Germany, Jon had significantly declined. I was asked to get my passport expedited so I could join him in Germany if I wanted the opportunity to say goodbye. Luckily, as I was working on obtaining one, he quickly took a turn for the better and was transported to Bethesda, MD. I left our 4 year old son in California with my parents and boarded a plane to Maryland. I arrived in the middle of the night and quickly settled into the Navy Lodge. I couldn’t sleep so as soon as the sun rose, I could see the hospital from my hotel window. I grabbed my stuff and started walking. Apparently there was a shuttle option, but I was so anxious I didn’t think to ask. There is no “how to” for situations like this. Being a California girl, I didn’t have the proper clothes or shoes for a November day on the East Coast… boy does it get cold.

After entering the hospital I bounced from window to window as I gave clerks by husbands name in hopes of finding him. After a wild goose chase I finally found the ICU wing he was in. I couldn’t get it so I waited for a doctor to open the automatic door just long enough to slip in. I remember feeling like I couldn’t breathe as I read the name outside each room trying to find Jon’s bed. I froze when I found it before charging in and wrapping my arms around him. He was medicated but coherent enough to realize who I was and that I made it. I wasn’t shocked at what I saw because when he was still in Germany and I was set to fly out I asked the nurse the hard questions on the phone. A suggestion given to me by a fellow spouse who’s husband was injured on Jon’s previous deployment. I drew and outline that looked like a game board from the popular game “Operation.” I asked her to give me grave detail of every injury Jon suffered from the smallest scratch to the severity of each amputation. In our final moments together, I didn’t want the look of shock on my face causing him self-doubt. She did exactly as I asked because he looked the exact way I pictured him. He was very skinny, as if malnourished. His skin was flushed white as if he had not seen sun in years. He had gashes on his face and a large open wound on the back of his head that resembled the New England Patriots logo. He had raised wounds across his chest filled with shrapnel. His left arm was heavily wrapped and immobilized. He lost three fingers, half of his palm, and half of his forearm in the blast. His right arm had so many tubes and cords that I could not hold his hand without getting tangled up in them. His legs were wrapped to in gauge up to his waist and he had giant tubes sucking fluid from the ends of them. Both of his legs were amputated just above the knee. I had read in the casualty report that I had requested the day of injury that he was originally amputated below the knee on one leg and above the knee on the other. I can only imagine the condition of that leg that required so much of it to be removed.

We hugged and cried. He apologized repeatedly and even tried to break up with me. I told him to shut up and kiss me. In that moment, the nurses came in anxiously wanting to know who I was and how I got back there. Turns out the Marine Corps had been searching the base for me for the last two hours. I guess there is a “how to” for this kind of thing and it definitely doesn’t including breaking into ICU solo to find your husband. This was a beautiful moment we shared that would anchor us for the dark days ahead. Every time we had hope to be out of ICU we were right back the next day. There were so many terrifying moments and some where I almost lost him, but he is a fighter. He averaged 15-20 surgeries a week for the next month or so. The hospital chair became my bed.

Fast forward to December 17, 2011. Our saving grace. The pregnancy was what kept me calm and sane. We were fortunate enough to have both our families fly out for this, including our son. Before we knew it I was fully dilated and ready to deliver our second son. My mom called down to Jon’s hospital room, which was two floors down from me, to let him know it was time. Jon had an amazing medical team. It was like a nascar pit crew in his room. Before he could blink, they had him transferred into a wheelchair, his machines and IV hanging, and into the elevator. He made it moments before our second son was born. In that moment he was not disabled…. He was just a father experiencing the birth of his child. He was able to cut the umbilical cord and hold our baby before returning to his room for more wound care.

So much has happened since that period in our life. We have had many ups and downs trying to figure out, “What now?” I mean, what do you do when life takes a detour? Jon built houses before joining the Marine Corps, so we had two plans…. reenlisting or construction…. And this detour didn’t include either. We spent a long time trying to find our purpose... our what now. Then we realized one day we don’t need to have some big impactful legacy. We didn’t need to try and change the world. We were tired of being compared to what others in our situation were doing. We decided just to be happy. We simplified our life. We got back to family time. We stopped trying to keep up with others. We started planting seeds. We got a couple chickens (which is now a couple dozen… oops! Lol). We got a few goats. We surrounded ourselves with people who respected us instead of pitying us. Then we realized that the more we worked to be true to ourselves the more of an impact we were making. Although we aren’t changing the world, we have noticed recently that we are changing the world around us and that is just as rewarding.