Ezra Swartzentruber, 11, keeping spirits up after accident; community rallying around him

Nearly a week after being hit by a car at a College of Wooster intersection, 11-year-old Ezra Swartzentruber "was going through all the emotions" of dealing with his serious accident, his mother, Joanna Swartzentruber, said Thursday.

Ezra is a patient at Akron Children's Hospital.

"Now it's hitting home" for him, she said, of the accident in which he was struck by a car on a Beall Avenue crosswalk following a Cornerstone Elementary School basketball game at the College of Wooster on Saturday evening, Feb. 3.

On Thursday, Ezra was saddened to learn about deafness in his right ear and the possibility of losing some hearing in his left ear, Swartzentruber said.

The hearing setback adds to the multiple severe injuries he already has faced − a fractured tibia on his right side, a left hip fracture, a fractured clavicle on his right side, a jaw fracture and a skull  fracture top to bottom on his right side, she said.

"His body is broken," she said.

Ezra, his name means helper, and he's a trouper

Through it all, Ezra has tried to keep up his spirits, which were lifted Thursday by "all the hospital dogs around. He was very excited about that," Swartzentruber said. "He is such a trouper," even apologizing for getting upset about bad news.

"That's who he is," Swartzentruber said. "His name means helper.

"He is such a happy kid," she added, noting all of the nursing staff has told her what a sweet child he is.

"He is just kind," Swartzentruber said.

Ezra's pain levels are, of course, high, and he can't be moved around very much because of "so many breaks on opposite sides. He is on blood clot medication."

His second surgery was scheduled for Saturday, to close his right ear canal in order to stop spinal fluid leakage.

His first surgery was performed the day after the accident to place three pins in his hip. Even so, he could face a hip replacement down the road if the bone does not receive sufficient oxygen, Swartzentruber said.

Ezra also continues to be monitored for a traumatic brain injury, and he has palsy on the right side of his face. Doctors are unsure whether he will regain muscle movement there, his mother said.

'He's going to carry these injuries the rest of his life'

The "why" of the accident is hard to understand.

When Ezra tells his mom he is sad, she responds, "I'm sad, too," calling what happened "very unfortunate" and "unfair."

"He is going to carry these injuries for the rest of his life," Swartzentruber said.

She "can't even imagine" what could have happened if her husband, Karl, and their two other children − Jude, 8, and Thea, 6, students at Cornerstone Elementary School − walking with Ezra to the crosswalk, had also been hit.

Swartzentruber is grateful to her family, friends and the community as a whole for helping them cope.

Until an investigation of the accident is completed and insurance benefits are worked out, the Swartzentrubers are paying for all the bills − unexpected expenses, Swartzentruber pointed out.

"We have a lot on our plate," she said, including jobs, transportation, taking care of their other children and a course she is taking.

A GoFundMe account has been set up by Lisa Vilayseng, and eCards can be designed for free at akronchildrens.org to be printed and given to Ezra.

"We read them to him," she said, a practice that has been especially helpful to Ezra when he gets a shot − something he hates.

It's unclear how long Ezra will be in the hospital, Swartzentruber said, anticipating mobility as a next step.

"We will eventually get him in a wheelchair," she said.

He will also require physical, speech and occupational therapy.

Edgewood Middle School community rallies support

Edgewood Middle School Principal Heidi Haas said in an email Ezra "is known for his sweet demeanor and infectious smile, and is greatly missed here at Edgewood."

The sentiment of neighbors, classmates and teachers has been, "It's heartbreaking to think of him going through this," Haas said.

The school community is rallying support through a number of efforts on Ezra's behalf − Kindness Week Spirit Days with a money collection to help with medical costs. Bookfair donated books for Ezra to read while he is out of school. A huge poster was signed by students, who also sent cards and letters. A custom water bottle was made by the custodian with Ezra's name and pictures of students holding up the poster. There have been hospital visits from teachers with gifts and cards. A special T-shirt was made, as were food deliveries to the family.

Swartzentruber said the entire community has come together to rally around Ezra.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wooster student faces long recovery after being hit by car