Teen Mania's Hannah Luce Able to Stand After Surviving Plane Crash
Over a week after escaping a plane crash in Kansas, Hannah Luce of Teen Mania Ministries is showing dramatic improvement in her recovery and is now able to stand.
It was just a few days ago when "even the smallest movements were excruciating" for Luce, according to her sister, Charity. But during physical therapy this past weekend, Luce "blew us all away ... when she was able to stand!"
Luce, daughter of Teen Mania founder Ron Luce, was the sole survivor of an accident that killed four of her friends. The group of five were on their way to Teen Mania's final Acquire the Fire event of the year in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on May 11 when the small plane crashed in a field and burst into flames.
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Details of the crash are still under investigation.
Three of the persons on board – Garrett Coble, Stephen Luth, and Luke Sheets (pilot) – died at the scene while a fourth – Austin Anderson – escaped with Luce and managed to reach a road and call for help. Anderson died the next morning, having sustained burns to his lungs and 90 percent of his body.
Luce, 22, is recovering from burns on 28 percent of her body.
She has had several surgeries for skin grafts beginning last week.
"It is an excruciating process for her, and the pain she feels afterward can not be fully treated with medication," said her father, Ron Luce, in a blog post Monday. "I ask that you lift her up in prayer today and for the remainder of the week."
Charity Luce reported on the remarkable progress she's seen in her sister's recovery.
"Over the course this weekend with Hannah, the dramatic transformation has been so encouraging," she stated. "After so much prayer for the right balance of medication and strength of heart, we were so uplifted to see brightness in her eyes, to hear her express desire to fight for her recovery [she actually asked the nurse, 'Do you have a workout facility on this floor?'] ... and to hear her talk about her dreams."
Hannah Luce recently graduated from Oral Roberts University and has been on staff with Teen Mania since January. Teen Mania is one of the largest Christian youth ministry organizations in the country.
Separate memorial services were held last week for the four young men who died in the crash. Sheets was 23; Luth, 22; Coble, 29; and Anderson, 27.
