Thanksgiving Miracle: Andy Meier Beating The Odds

By Mike Jacobs

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HARTLAND - It’s a TODAY’S TMJ4 exclusive, and it’s a Thanksgiving miracle. Andy Meier was critically injured in a bus crash in Bosnia a year and a half ago. Doctors there didn’t expect him to survive, let alone walk again…but Andy is beating the odds. “Hi there, Mike,” Andy said one day recently when TODAY’S TMJ4’s Mike Jacobs met him. Mike Jacobs: “Pumping a little iron?” “I’m going to pump you up,” Andy joked. Mike Jacobs: “Good to see you. How you doing, Andy?” “Good,” Andy said. Mike Jacobs: “You’re looking great.” In fact, Andy’s looking better than great. When we first met Andy a year and a half ago, he was in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the chest down. Andy was critically injured in a tour bus crash in Bosnia. Doctors there expected him to die. “This was all opened up,” Andy said, pointing to his chest. “All of my ribs were broken. Back was broken. Spinal cord sheared.” Walking was out of the question. Now, a year and a half later, Andy is walking on a treadmill. “I can’t wait till I get to do Al’s Run. That’s my goal,” Andy said. Technically, Andy is still paralyzed. “Now, I am able to move things, but I still don’t have any feeling from my chest down. You could cut me or spill hot coffee on me and I wouldn’t be able to feel that,” Andy said. Andy’s brain can send signals to his legs, but his legs can’t send feeling back to his brain. Despite that, he’s able to get around using a walker. And, he can do leg extensions! He’s even advanced to walking sticks, walking on a plank to improve strength and stability. He can even drive a car! His leg is strong enough he can use his right foot on the accelerator and brake. Andy attributes his survival to his faith, and the power of prayer. “I couldn’t be more thankful that God allowed me to live. That he’s allowed me to think and laugh and pray,” Andy said. This Thanksgiving, Andy is doing leg lifts, doing sit ups, and working hard to do the things he took for granted just two years ago. Mike Jacobs: “Some people would see the glass as half empty.” “No. My glass is totally full. It’s overflowing. My cup runneth over. It really does. Look at when we first met: I was in a wheelchair and my blessings keep growing every day, Mike!” Andy said.