Near-fatal accident puts couple's wedding vows on hold

LAPLACE, La. — On Saturday, March 9, Alyssa Acker received a call that brought her to her knees.

“You could see he was trying to avoid it, but he just couldn't, and his bike exploded, and you saw his body fly into a ditch,” Alyssa said.

“I just remember falling on all fours and saying to God, please save him. I don't know what happened, but please protect him and save him while he is on his way to the hospital.

Her fiancé, Josh Arnold, the man she had been with since high school, was hit by a truck while riding his motorcycle home.

Although they had not yet reached the altar, the words “Till death do us part, in sickness and in health” became a very real question they would have to face.

“We met in high school, but like we didn't know each other, he graduated in 2015 and I graduated in 2017, but it was more like we met in the gym outside high school,” Alyssa Acker said.

Both Alyssa and Josh attended Destrehan High School.

They have been together for 8 years and were planning their dream wedding for November.

For now, they have had to put their lives and their wedding plans on hold.

“He said I'm going for a walk down the street, I'll be right back, and I was like, okay, why don't you stay home, something's wrong. And he said no, I promise I’ll be right back,” Alyssa said.

Alyssa says Josh rarely rode his bike, only occasionally, just to keep the engine running smoothly.

Unable to shake this sinking feeling, Alyssa followed him.

“At some point it stopped, and it started having problems and I started feeling like I had to go,” Alyssa said.

But before she could go out, her phone rang. It was Josh's mother, she told Alyssa that he had been hit by a truck.

“They said that's when they realized he had a torn aorta and they needed to get the surgery done right away or he wouldn't make it,” Alyssa said .

“Even then he had very, very little chance of success. Yes, he had less than a five percent chance of living,” Alyssa said.

Doctors performed surgery to repair his aorta. He received a blood transfusion. Two days later, they put a rod in his leg to repair a broken femur.

His kidneys began to shut down, forcing Josh to be put on dialysis.

He suffered a detached optic nerve leaving him virtually blind in his left eye, a torn ACL and a compound fracture of his left arm.

“That day he was operated on for 11 hours. They tried to do four different surgeries to save his arm,” Alyssa said.

Finally, the decision was made to amputate it; In total, Josh has undergone 12 surgeries at University Medical Center with more surgeries planned.

“When he woke up I told him I just wanted you to know it could have been ten times worse. I know I'm only 25, but it could have been ten times worse and I would have taken care of you for the rest of my life,” Alyssa said.

After doctors told Josh they had to amputate his arm, Alyssa remembers walking into his room. She says she remembers Josh moving around a lot, not sure why she asked him what he was doing.

“I'm just trying to show you my arm, is that okay?” I was like sure, I'm okay with that. With or without arms, you are still the man I fell in love with. Like it or not, it doesn't change who you are. And he broke down crying,” Alyssa said.

Josh is now out of the hospital and back home with Alyssa.

It wasn't easy for him. Working out and helping others in the gym has been Josh's passion since he played high school football.

The loss of his arm was as much an obstacle as a physical one for him.

Alyssa says her arm needs to heal before she can get a prosthetic. In the meantime, Josh is already preparing his comeback.

“He's like Alyssa when I get out of here I want to start making videos and I want to start inspiring people and I want people to always be able to come to me and ask me for help and maybe when it’s someone younger than me or someone else going through the same thing as him, he wants to be able to talk and help people going through the same thing as him,” Alyssa said.

She says the love they received was humbling.

She moved in with her best friend while Josh was in the hospital, proceeds from an event at Loft 18, a crawfish cook-off at the Bay Café, a Pilates event and a raffle organized by several local nutrition stores were organized to help Josh eventually. pay for a prosthesis and other medical equipment.

Her workplace at Luxury Beauty Clinic participated and even Gayle Benson donated an autographed football for a silent auction.

“The support has been humbling. We even talked about how when we come out of the woods, we need to start helping others more.

Whatever their future, one thing is certain, they will face it together.

“I told him I just wanted you to know that I’m not going anywhere,” Alyssa said.

Once he's ready, Josh's next step is to get his prosthesis fitted. The couple postponed their wedding but have not yet set a new date.

They have a gofundme to help cover expenses, including medical equipment that had to be set up at their home for Josh.

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