Redemption and hope born from tragedy are the subject of this week’s Feel-Good Friday.
What a bittersweet week. While many of us spent quality time with family and friends, giving thanks for our blessings and eating yummy food, on the eve of Thanksgiving, our nation was once again rocked by another hostile terrorist, let in under the Biden administration’s watch, seeking to destabilize and destroy us. The Wednesday ambush attack on West Virginia National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, is horrific and continues to mar what should be a week of joy that leads into the Season of Joy. Yet, here we are.
On Thursday, RedState reported that Beckstrom succumbed to her wounds, and her father poignantly expressed, “My baby girl has passed to glory.” Prayers for the Beckstrom family, and may she rest in peace.
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We don’t know the extent of Wolfe’s injuries, but we know that he is still fighting for life. Prayers go out for him and his family, too, that a miracle will allow him to continue to live and continue to fight. This Friday, we desperately need a palate cleanser that magnifies hope prevailing against all hope. Two young kids who escaped deadly injuries and managed to find each other offer just that.
In 2018, Zach Zarembinski and Isabel Richard were rushed to Regions Hospital in Saint Paul, Minnesota, 10 days apart. On October 27, 18-year-old Zarembinski collapsed on the football field during a game he was playing at Murray-Hill High School. On November 5, Richard, 16, was driving home from her grocery store job when she swerved to avoid being hit on a rainy road and rammed into a tree. The fact that they both ended up in intensive care with traumatic brain injuries wasn’t due to random or reckless teenage behavior. Like Beckstrom and Wolfe, these young people were living lives of duty and purpose, fulfilling their commitments to their families, their team, and their community. Then, tragedy struck.
After Zarembinski awoke from his week-long coma, he spoke at a news conference about his injury and the care he received at the hospital. By chance, that interview aired on television in Richard’s hospital room. Though Richard was still in a coma and unable to see it, her mother, Esther, watched closely. She later approached Zarembinski, hoping his story might offer a glimmer of reassurance.
“He was telling us she’ll be okay,” Esther recalled to NBC affiliate KARE 11.
Early in their treatment, both Zarembinski and Richard underwent surgery in which portions of their skulls were removed to relieve dangerous brain swelling.
When Richard eventually emerged from her coma, she and Zarembinski met briefly, but little came of it. “I said a couple of kind words to Isabelle, and that was it for six years,” Zarembinski told the outlet.
Traumatic brain injuries are no joke. In 2022, I wrote about the daughter of my dear friends, the Hodsons. Hayley Hodson, a student at Stanford University and an Olympic-bound volleyball player, suffered a TBI that upended her life and dreams. Our editor Bob Hoge has reported on Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has suffered multiple concussions and brain injuries. While Tagovailoa continues as QB for the Dolphins, Hodson gave up sports and redirected into law and advocacy for people suffering from TBIs. Her life has been enriched by her recent marriage to a doctor, no less. But like Tagovailoa and Hodson, it took time for Zarembinski and Richard to rebuild their lives. It took almost two years for Richard to be able to fully walk again. Zarembinski went through several more surgeries and had to overcome epilepsy, which prevented him from driving. Even this fulfilled God’s purpose, because Richard was willing to drive him where he needed to be, and that time allowed their relationship to deepen.
These young people had no idea that their mothers were not just praying for and supporting their journey, but working behind the scenes to keep these two in each other’s world.
Gotta love it.
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During that time, Esther and Zarembinski’s mother, Tracy, kept the families connected through Facebook. Six years after the accidents, the families met for dinner — and this time, sparks flew.
“I asked her for her phone number,” Zarembinski said.
The two went on a date, and from there, their story truly began. As their relationship grew, Richard reflected on how perfectly they balanced one another: “It’s opposite sides of our brain, so it’s kind of like we complement each other in that way. Things that I’m bad at, he’s good at,” she said.
As these mothers experienced the unique pain of potential loss, a loss that probably still lingered, they had a front-row seat to the connection and redemption in their children coming together. As Zarembinski’s and Richard’s relationship began to flower, they decided to start a podcast together called Hope in Healing, where they tell their full story HERE. The podcast has been up less than a year, so give them a follow. For Episode #5, Zarembinski arranged with the hospital and staff of Regions Hospital — some of whom cared for them both six years ago — to be a part of this very special episode.
Get out the tissues.
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Continue to pray for Andrew Wolfe. God willing, six years from now, I want to be writing about his redemption and restoration story. KARE 11 did a wonderful compact vignette about Zach Zarembinski and Isabel Richard’s journey of healing, hope, and redemption.
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Editor’s Note: At RedState, it’s not all about politics and policy. We like to bring attention to what’s good in the world, with columns like “Feel-Good Friday,” “Start Your Weekend Right,” and “Hoge’s Heroes.”
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