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Dewayne Yauch's mother, Shauna Templeton, says the ordeal has been overwhelming at times. “If I cried, he cried, but there's no point in doing that now," she says. “We just have to try and make something good out of it."


Facing the future
By David Dinell
Last Updated: July 15, 2015

Valley Center teen upbeat after life-changing accident 

Dewayne Yauch lost fingers on his right hand — but he's kept his optimistic mood. Yauch, a 17-year-old Valley Center resident, was severely hurt in an industrial accident May 29, only a few days after starting a new job in the aircraft industry. 

It was an accident that resulted in the loss of Dewayne's pinky finger, ring finger, index finger and three bones in his thumb and brought on weeks of pain that continue to this day. Despite it all, he's working on maintaining a good outlook on life. 

"There are ups and downs," Dewayne said, "but I'm keeping my spirits high."

Dewayne even has a joke ready when he meets people and they ask, "what happened?" Holding up his heavily bandaged right arm, he deadpans: "Oh, I got into a real bad fight. You should see the other kid." 

He also has a lot of area residents cheering him on. 

In that regard, there was a fundraiser July 11 at an empty retail space between Leeker's Family Foods and Dollar General at Broadway and 61st Street North. There wasn't a set program, raffle items for sale or anything of that nature. It was more of a meet-and-greet time. 

There was a jar for funds to help out Dewayne in his difficult road ahead, along with a book of encouragement to sign. 

There was a lot of visiting, hugs and a few tears as guests sipped coffee and juice and ate cookies. 

The folks turning out were customers of Leeker's, where Dewayne had worked as a sacker and carry-out boy for two years. 

It's also where his mom, Shauna Templeton, works as a clerk. Store owner John Leeker and regular customers Tania and Morris Lewis got together and decided to hold the fundraiser as a means of doing something to help Dewayne. 

Morris Lewis recalls a lot of bantering with Dewayne while he worked on his groceries, including a spirited conversation over which university had the better teams: KU or WSU. 

There were many such stories during the morning and praises of Dewayne's upbeat attitude.

"Dewayne is pretty special to us," said Kathy Rickey of Valley Center, who came to the event with her mother, Margaret Westerfield, also of Valley Center. "He's just a good guy and an inspiration to us all with his courage." 

Westerfield echoed that.

"He's a good kid," he said.

Joe Newton, a retired printer from Park City, said Dewayne's spirit seems "pretty good." 

"It's sad," Newton said. "It's a crushing blow and it will take a while to get over it."

However, there's nothing to do but move forward over time, he added. 

The ordeal since the accident has not been easy, said Templeton.

"It's been overwhelming at times," she said. "If I cried, he cried, but there's no point in doing that now. We just have to try and make something good out of it." 

One thing that has made a difference, she said, is the way the community has reached out with its kindness toward the family, with cards, calls, financial assistance and empathy. 

"The support has been amazing," Templeton said. "He's a loved kid." 

The reason for that, she said, is simple. 

"It's a direct response to treating other people well," she said.

Throughout his employment at Leeker's, Dewayne always took the extra step to be pleasant to others — and they'll remember that, she said. 

The encouragement and kind words given to Dewayne at the event was a testimony to that. 

While Dewayne has received medical treatment under workers' compensation insurance, there are other costs that aren't covered, she said, hence the fundraiser. 

Donations will go for expenses to travel to Kansas City for what will be multiple surgeries with a hand surgeon specialist. 

Such care is not available in Wichita, she said, and the two will head there on July 22 for another visit. 

The accident occurred with what is called a horizontal lay down band saw. 

As part of the process of working with the machine, coolant goes through the system. It's supposed to go into a reservoir, but sometimes pools onto the table. 

Dewayne was wearing gloves and went to clean some of the coolant off, but because the gloves were a bit long, the tip of the glove on his pinky finger caught in the saw blade, resulting in the traumatic accident. 

Dewayne was immediately taken to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, and then flown to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where more specialized care was available. 

Attempts were made to save the thumb and index finger. 

The process to rescue the thumb was not successful. Doctors were able to save the index finger. However, it doesn't have feeling in it. 

There have been other setbacks, such as skin grafts that are not holding. 

There also will be as least three more surgeries in the future. 

Templeton hopes that doctors will be able to stabilize the situation, and sometime in the future might be able to make a new thumb for Dewayne with one of his toes and the bone behind it. 

Dewayne said his biggest problem right now is pain. 

"It hurts all the time other than sleeping," he said.

He's undergoing pain management and counseling to help deal with it. A right-hander, he now has extremely limited use of that hand. 

"My writing looks like chicken scratch," he said. 

Templeton also is hoping to be able to save some of the funds for college tuition, as Dewayne, a Valley Center High School senior, will have to be able to carve out a new future for himself. 

Whatever Dewayne's calling is, he said he's going to work hard at it. Part of the reason for the new job, he said, is that he was attracted to the aircraft industry. 

"I thought it would be a good career and a good path to go down," he said. 

Templeton said Dewayne, whose father, Harold Yauch, lives in Wichita, has always been a motivated worker. After he started work at Leeker's, he saved enough for a down payment on a vehicle. 

"He has always known that if he wanted to have a successful life, he needed to work hard for it," she wrote in a flier for the fundraiser.

The last six weeks have been a real test for the family, but Templeton is proud of how he's done. 

"He's pulled through some hard times," she said. 

For his part, Dewayne is determined not to let what is a harrowing life-changing accident derail his life and put him on a negative track. 

"I'm going to make something positive out of this experience," he said. 

To help

If you're interested in helping Dewayne, contributions can be sent to the "Dewayne Yauch Fund" in care of the Chisholm Trail State Bank, 6160 N. Broadway, Wichita KS 67219.





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