At just 6 years old, Nolan Stevenson’s life changed in the blink of an eye. What began as a peaceful spring evening on his family’s farm turned into a fight for survival after the utility task vehicle (UTV) Nolan was riding in with his parents overturned, ejecting him and his stepfather, Adam.

Nolan was airlifted first to a nearby hospital, then transferred to University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. What followed was a 15-hour surgery unlike anything his family could have imagined. His pelvis was shattered — fractured on the right side, crushed entirely on the left. His bladder and internal organs needed repair, his body held together by hope and the skilled hands of doctors.

His mother, Justine Brink, remembers those first hours as a blur. “That day, God started a new chapter for our family,” she says. “The first several pages of this chapter were a blur for all of us.”

Doctors called it “polytrauma” — trauma to multiple organs and body parts. Nolan’s case was so severe that his surgeon, Dr. Matthew Karam, told the family it was the kind of case seen only once in a decade.

Tragedy After Joy
The timing made the heartbreak even harder. Just days earlier, Justine and Adam had returned from their wedding in Florida, still glowing from joy. They had barely unpacked before tragedy struck.

On that April evening, Justine dialed 911 with trembling hands and used her shirt as a tourniquet to slow Nolan’s bleeding until help arrived. “Within a week of this joyous event for our family, we had this tragedy and one of the toughest things we’ve had to go through,” she recalls.

Unimaginable Decisions
Less than a week after the initial surgery, Nolan’s parents were faced with choices no family should ever have to make. The damage to his leg was beyond repair; doctors amputated below the knee. One week later, his left pelvis was removed in a hemipelvectomy to save his life.

“The compassion and kindness shared with Nolan and our family will forever be remembered,” Justine says. “The nurses cried and grasped our hands, we were hugged by doctors, and we cried with the staff.”

Over the following months, Nolan endured 38 daily dressing changes, seven surgeries to remove damaged tissue, and skin graft procedures. After 84 days, he finally left the hospital — scarred, but alive, and surrounded by love.

An Inspiration to Future Healers
Nolan’s case has since become a teaching example at the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine. Students and residents study his recovery, learning from his resilience and the medical team’s extraordinary care. “We pray that his pain has been put to purpose,” Justine says, “to teach, guide, and encourage future healers.”

Life on the Farm, Life Reclaimed
Adam, who was also injured in the crash, has returned to farming. Nolan, now 9 years old, is back at school and thriving. He first returned in a wheelchair, but today he walks with a prosthetic leg. He plays golf, swims, fishes, and still loves life on the family farm.

One of his proudest moments came with a bottle calf given to him just before the accident. While others struggled to train it, Nolan — still in his wheelchair — guided the calf with ease, later showing it in competition.

“He makes people laugh and adapts to challenges with such grace,” Adam says. “The whole thing has been hard, but it’s a lot easier with all the support we have and his attitude.”

Healing Beyond the Body
Nolan continues regular checkups at Stead Family Children’s Hospital, a place his family now describes as sacred. “We have so much healing that took place there,” Justine says. “Spiritual healing and physical healing and mental healing for all of us.”

From tragedy on the farm to triumph in the show ring, Nolan’s journey is a testament to courage, faith, and community. His story is not only about survival but about finding light in the darkest places — and teaching us all that resilience has no age limit.