Local family receives aid

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WORTHINGTON — Area folks are pitching in to create a little “Extreme Makeover” magic right here in Worthington.

Their focus is the family home of Brian Dykstra, a Worthington man who was injured during a work accident in early February.

The Dykstras had begun remodeling their home last year, but their efforts were cut short when Dykstra was thrown beneath the 15-ton crane he was operating and needed to be airlifted to Avera Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. There he faced amputation of his right leg, kidney dialysis and a host of other surgeries.

“We were in the middle of some home improvements and Brian was doing most of the work himself,” explained his wife Amy. “He has some friends who are going to finish the flooring for him, finish the soffit and fascia and paint.”

Actually, quite a few friends are mounting a local effort to finish the remodeling project before Dykstra comes home next week, following a skin graft on his right leg.

“We just want to get it done for them so Brian can concentrate on healing,” said family friend Jen Luitjens. “Brian and Amy are wonderful people; they would do the same for any of their close friends. … We did remodeling to our house a couple years ago and Brian helped us.”

Luitjens will be in charge of feeding volunteers during a remodeling blitz slated for Saturday, and has enlisted her mother and grandmother to make cookies and potato salad to go along with her barbecue pork loins.

“I’ll probably be the gopher to run here or there if they need stuff. It seems that when you’re doing remodeling projects there’s always something you don’t have,” she said.

Another group of volunteers will do the heavy lifting: laying flooring, hanging soffit and installing drywall.

“I’ve got about ten to 12 people: five co-workers, a couple people from my church are coming over to help that don’t even know Brian, I’ve got a couple of Brian’s friends that are going over to help,” said Toby Kippes, Dykstra’s Jerke Construction Co. co-worker who is helping organize the construction effort.

“It’s pretty neat to see them all coming to help; I just wish we had a few more weeks. The whole key is going to be organization,” he said. “Depending on what we get for (volunteers), we might be able to get most of it done this week.”

He said UBC (United Building Centers) is matching every dollar the Dykstras spend on materials with a dollar toward their children’s future tuition.

A handicap platform and ramp to the front door will also need to be installed, but the family may use a temporary ramp for now. Amy and the children are just looking forward to having dad home again after almost two months in the hospital.

“We’re very excited to have him alive and the kids have really missed him,” Amy said.

Once home, he’ll continue to heal for a couple weeks before doctors begin fitting him for a prosthetic leg.

“It’s a long process of shaping and making the skin tough enough to handle the prosthetics, at least that’s what I’ve been told,” Dykstra said in a phone interview Tuesday. He’s looking forward to spending more time with his children — all five of them — and was even allowed to leave the hospital March 6 to make a surprise visit to his co-workers.

“I had the time of my life. It was probably an hour and a half that was well deserved,” he said. “I knew everybody was going to be there so I kind of surprised everybody there. Everybody was surprised to see me out and about.”

Kippes is still looking for donations and volunteers for Saturday’s effort, and those interested can contact him at at tkdakotarigger@hotmail.com.

Tags: news, worthington, dykstra, brian, briandykstra