Mark and Johna Fellwock have been dairy farming in Lawrence County, Mo., for more than 20 years and have had their share of ups and downs. But a recent freak accident is testing the family as they face the possible devastating loss of Mark’s foot.
It was two days after Christmas. The couple had a rough week. They were short on help.
“We were spending 12 hours or so in the barn every day, and then trying to get all the outside chores done,” Johna said.
Between milkings that day, Mark went about moving dirt with the skid steer. He finished the job and decided to rest a bit as the bucket of the skid steer hovered just above his foot. Then what seemed like a simple stretch of the leg turned disastrous.
Johna said Mark must’ve slipped or hit something, as the step plate on the back of the bucket slammed down on his foot.
According to his doctors, Mark’s ankle degloved, and while it isn’t as bloody and gory as it sounds, all the soft tissue was completely ripped away from his bone and muscles, ligaments and joints.
Thankful for life, with or without a foot
Despite it all, Johna said the family feels “blessed.”
“We're very thankful that he's here,” she said. “I told him then, ‘With no foot or not, we don't care. We're just glad that you're here.’”
Recovery will take time for Mark, as Johna explained, because he’s not one to sit around but rather always on the move.
“It means a lot to him to talk to people, helps him get through the day,” she added. “Mornings are the hardest this time. All of us are outside, and we don't get in until well after lunch.”
Johna is documenting Mark’s recovery for others on the Fellwock Dairy Facebook page. As of Jan. 23, doctors told the Fellwocks everything looks good, but they are waiting for swelling to go down before discussing surgery options to save his foot.
Farming is dangerous
This isn’t the first serious injury for Mark. When the couple built their current dairy parlor, they had to bulldoze a shed. Mark went to light the pile of rubble to burn when it exploded due to a gas leak. He spent 11 days in the hospital burn unit.
“It got his arm and his face pretty good,” Johna said. “So dairy farming is dangerous work. It really is. Farming is dangerous.”
She said every farmer goes through safety seminars all the time, but when working those long hours, things can happen in an instant.
“Just really slow down. That's what I try to tell Mark when he's going 90 to nothing,” she added. “Just slow down and breathe, recollect yourself and go on.”
The Fellwock family — who are also first responders in the area — are thankful for the work responders put in to save Mark's life.
The family stressed this point for other farmers: Keep tourniquets and first-aid kits in your equipment; it can help save your limbs.