Tony was born in Avesta, Sweden, in
1966. He joined the Swedish Merchant Marines
at the age of 16 and became one of the youngest captains ever by the age of
20. After many adventures while circumnavigating the globe numerous
times, he left the Merchant Marines and eventually took a three-month long job
as a private power-yacht captain on the New England coast of America in
2000. He met a girl from Texas and never left America! In 2002 he
decided to pursue a life-long dream to become a helicopter pilot. By
2006, he was a flight instructor, and then went
into the agricultural spraying business in 2008. Things were looking up,
financially, and he and his fiancée, Carey Clayton, bought a piece of land in
Wimberley, and moved onto it in their 5th wheel RV, with plans to build a home.
On May 30, 2009,
while spraying a cotton field near San Marcos, Texas, Tony had landed to refuel
the helicopter. His ground crew of one began refueling, but there was a
kink in the fuel hose, and leaving the nozzle in the tank, he stepped down to
unkink the hose. When the hose was straightened, Tony watched from the
pilot's seat as the built-up pressure forced the nozzle from the tank and
sprayed him with Aviation gas as it fell to the ground. There was an
immediate explosion and Tony struggled to release himself from the four-point
seat-belt and extinguish the flames on his clothing with his hands.
Within twenty minutes, he became a passenger instead of a pilot, as he was
flown via CareFlight to Brooke Army Medical Center in San
Antonio. He remained hospitalized for five weeks with burns over
25% of his body, mostly his hands, arms, left side, and face.
After two
surgeries to graft skin from his back and right leg to the third degree burns on his hands, arms, and side, Tony
now faces a year of intensive rehabilitation with the goal of regaining the use
of his hands so that he can fly again (it takes both hands and both feet to fly
a helicopter!). He discovered that as a contract laborer, he is not
eligible for Worker's Compensation or Unemployment
insurance. Though he has Health Insurance, his needs have already
exceeded the benefits for Physical Therapy and
Rehabilitation. He is continuing his physical therapy with the Burn specialists
at BAMC, where they hope he will make a full recovery, though there are no
guarantees of the ultimate outcome.
Tony has no family
in the United States. His family in
Sweden consists of his mother Birgit, sisters Camilla and Annette and his
brother Jan. His father Ture has
died. Through use of the internet and
phone calls he has been able to communicate his condition to his family.
This appeal is to
encourage you to financially help a fellow Swede who has a very special need.
In summary, his
health and life insurance, student loan, land, and car payments, plus living
expenses, are approximately $2,000 per month.
It is anticipated that Tony will not be able to work for a minimum of 12
months.
In order to take
the financial burden off of Tony’s shoulders and allow him to focus on his
recovery, we encourage you to consider this opportunity to provide financial support
to a special Swede in Texas. Your gift of $10.00 to $20.00 per month for
the next 12 months will go a long way in helping Tony. Your gift
can be mailed monthly, quarterly, or at your convenience or even better, a
onetime gift. Our financial goal is 12 months of support for Tony.
All Checks Payable
to: Tony Soderstrom
Send to: Broadway Bank
Att: Wimberley Branch
P.O. Box 17001
San Antonio, TX 78217
We sincerely
appreciate your help with this special need.
Tony and his Team thank Broadway Bank of San Antonio for providing this
collection and financial service.
“Tony’s Helping
Hand ” Team
Marlene
Bartlett David Borg Rod Johnson Irma Pearson Billy Peel
Barbara Van Neil