MENOMONEE FALLS -- For the first time a Menomonee Falls woman shares her miraculous recovery.
Emily Grace Reimers and her brother Benjamin were hit by an out-of-control vehicle after the July 3 fireworks show. Benjamin did not survive.
On Tuesday, TMJ4 News was invited into Emily Grace's classroom to get a look at her recovery, just days before she plans to speak to her community.
It is an extraordinary recovery we saw for the very first time. She was not ready to talk to us about her journey, but if you look closer, you can see she is teaching a Pre-K class choir with a back brace over her clothes.
"When we got the call on July 3, she was looking really bad and it didn't look like she was going to survive," said Paul Reimers, Emily Grace's father.
When the July fireworks show wrapped up, a vehicle lost control and plowed towards a crowd of people, striking 25-year-old Emily Grace and her 24-year-old brother Benjamin. Benjamin did not survive. Emily Grace was hospitalized for weeks, her dad tells us she was recovering from a broken back, pelvis, ribs, collapsed lung, and blood on her brain.
"It very well could have been a double funeral. She is still right now in a lot of pain and she's got a lot of recovery still to do," said Paul Reimers.
Despite this, the church's pastor says she did not miss the first day of school for her Pre-K students.
This weekend she plans to speak during Sunday's church service to share her thanks to first responders and the entire community.
"She's also going to talk about the brevity of life. We really don't know how many years we have, and really encourage all of those who are there to focus on what matters now," said Paul Reimers, who plans to fly in from North Carolina to speak this Sunday as well. "We want to be able to heal together."
The pastor hopes this will help the entire community grow stronger from this trauma as churchgoers not only saw Emily Grace every day, but her brother Benjamin who was a key leader in their music program.
"Community means so much and we want them to feel encouraged. Just to see a trial navigated by a family. We want people to feel encouraged," said Falls Baptist Church Pastor Wayne VanGelderen.
Emily Grace and her father plan to speak this Sunday at 10:45 a.m. at Falls Baptist Church. The address is N69W12703 Appleton Ave. in Menomonee Falls.
There is still a fundraiser to help Emily Grace pay for her medical expenses. Visit the GoFundMe page to help.
