BY KELLY MONITZ
A GoFundMe account has been set up for a 27-year-old man who was seriously injured in a work-related accident in Humboldt Industrial Park on Thursday.
Josh Wagner lost his left arm and right hand when his hands got stuck in a machine at Pretium Packaging, his sister Julie Burger said. He is currently in Hershey Medical Center awaiting transfer to a rehabilitation and therapy facility in the coming days, she said.
Wagner’s wounds are healing well and he is good spirits, but he’s still learning to adapt to his new situation and relying on others for assistance, Burger said.
Wagner rented from his mother, Sharon, who is physically disabled, and helped her maintain the house and care for the yard, she said.
“It’s going to be a struggle for both of them,” Burger said. “She depended on him and now he has to depend on her.”
The GoFundMe account, which was set up by his sister Jen Pecora, is seeking a goal of $150,000 to help offset the cost for their parents’ travel and related costs while away from home to support their son, and also to help with Wagner’s bills while he is making his recovery and is fully rehabilitated, which the family expects will be the long road.
“Bi-lateral arm amputations are very rare, which makes this tragedy even worse,” Pecora wrote.
He will have numerous appointments for prosthesis and surgery followup appointments as well during his recovery, she wrote.
Burger has been staying home with the children to allow her sisters to spend time with Wagner, who was in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, but has since been moved to a regular room, she said.
The GoFundMe account is titled Josh’s Journey and can be accessed at gofundme.com/f/nyaccf-joshs-journey.
Those who want to donate but don’t have access to a computer can mail checks payable to Sharon Wagner to Julie Burger at 448 St. Johns Road, Drums, PA 18222.
The GoFundMe account had raised more than $15,000 in the first day.
The family appreciates any kindness for Wagner, who Pecora described as a happy-go-lucky guy who enjoys playing with his nieces and nephews, cooking, working on cars and tinkering on anything mechanical.
“We are praying that with the help and strength of God he can come through this to lead a life as close to what he has always known,” Pecora wrote.
Contact the writer: kmonitz@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3589
