Scout leader who lost a leg after tree fell on him feels lucky to be alive"I was so lucky," John Gremli said.
That might sound odd, coming from a man who lost the bottom of his right leg earlier this summer when it was crushed by a falling tree at a Boy Scout camp. But Gremli said he was lucky to survive and blessed to find out how much he is loved. (MORE AFTER THE BREAK)
Gremli, 51, of Bethalto, went to sleep on July 22, on a cot in a tent at Camp Warren Levis in Godfrey, expecting a good night's rest. He was there with Boy Scout Troop 778 to help his son work on merit badges and have a good time. Gremli had been helping with the troop for almost five years since his son had joined.
"The next thing I knew, I couldn't move," he said. "The pain was excruciating, like nothing I had felt before."
A 50-foot tall red oak tree, possibly weakened by several nights of heavy rain, had fallen across the tent, pinning his legs. He said he could move his left foot, but not his right.
What followed was a blur of people comforting and rescuing him, a confused tangle of helpers, fire trucks, ambulances and a helicopter.
He remembers thinking that he was going to lose his leg. But that was after he had time to settle down and remember what happened.
"I had to be told all about it a couple of weeks later," he said.
His right leg was amputated above the knee. He also has had some problems with his left leg. His left knee was injured a couple of years ago in a horse riding accident.
He gets around in a wheelchair and is confined to one floor in his split-level home he shares with his wife and their two teenage children.
Still, he says he feels lucky.
"That is one positive thing out of this thing that could be so negative," he said. "I never realized how many people cared."
Volunteers built a ramp on the front of the house at no cost to him. Other volunteers came in and reworked the garage on the side of the house so it now is a large room with a handicapped accessible bathroom and laundry.
"There were meals brought to our house probably for two solid months, every night, by the people at the Bethalto United Methodist Church," said his wife and main caretaker, Brenda Gremli.
"A lot of people have donated time and effort outside their jobs to help me," he said. "They don't want recognition. They just want to help."
Some of those people have organized a benefit spaghetti dinner from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Bethalto First Christian Church.
Gremli is unemployed because his job was eliminated after another company bought the car dealer where he worked. He had worked for his father's car dealership for 20 years after high school.
In the uncertain economy he was unable to find a job and now he is not sure what he will do.
Eventually he hopes to get a prothesis. He had some problems with bleeding and had to go back to the hospital for another operation.
"That had me really depressed," he said "It's hard to look at something like this and be positive."
But a return home to family and friends has buoyed him again. He said he wakes up every morning looking forward to the day and really feels fortunate.
"I know one day I will walk out that door," he said.
Benefit for John Gremli Family
When: Noon to 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Bethalto, Illinois First Christian Church, 724 E. Bethalto Blvd., Bethalto
What:1 Spaghetti dinner, silent auction, live music
Tickets: Available at Bethalto United Methodist Church and at Abbey Graphic Design and Support Services in Godfrey, Illinois
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