A young Steinbach dad is finally home after five months of being in hospital.
In February, Micheal Bueckert was hit by a car while trying to help someone stuck in the snow. He was taken to hospital in critical condition—a time his family described as "nothing short of treacherous."
Against all odds, on Wednesday afternoon, the 26-year-old was brought back home. His younger brother Anthony Baker says it's nothing short of a miracle.
"The doctors were saying that (for) a year he'd be in the hospital. He's cut that in half," Baker says, adding there is great excitement in the family now that Bueckert has returned.
This is especially true for his young son.
"For the last week it's been, 'Asher, how's your day going?' and (he says), 'My dad's coming home next week.' Whenever there's a question, it's just him talking about his dad coming home. That's all he's been talking about, and the smile that comes on his face is just priceless," Baker says.
It's been good to see his nephew so happy.
"It was really, really difficult for him. (He was) praying that daddy would get healed," Baker says.
Of course, it's been a long stretch for the whole family, he notes, filled with ups and downs.
"The beginning was really scary," he recalls. But lately, "it's been exciting to... have life go back to a new normal in a sense."
While his brother, who he lovingly refers to as "Mikey," still faces some physical limitations like numbness on the left side of his body, having a hard time holding things, getting off couches, and using stairs—for which railings have been installed in the family's home—Baker says his brother is still very much himself.
"He's a lot softer, a lot slower...but we were expecting him to be a lot worse mentally. It's almost like he hasn't changed at all," he says, adding Bueckert hasn't lost his sarcastic flare and is cracking plenty of jokes.
"He's a positive pest," Baker chuckles. "He likes being back in the crowds and with people, making people laugh, and caring for people and his son."
When it comes to the physical recovery left to do, he's sure his brother will march right through it.
The family is also deeply grateful for the support they’ve received from the community over the last five months.
"The GoFundMe just took off. It wasn't even about the money, but it was seeing how much people were wanting to be involved and wanting to support us. It was just insane," he says.
His family's church was also a huge help, supplying prayers and meals.
"Those two are just really great in keeping us going, and helping us have support that we can lean on," Baker says.