Yampa men on recovery road
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Steamboat Springs — A barbecue benefiting the two Yampa men who were injured during a gas explosion in May is set for June 15.
The barbecue for Mike Teters and Chuck Broadbent will include a bake sale, dinner and door prizes. Sponsors include Yampa American Legion Post Bird Howe No. 189, Yampa Bible Church and Rachel's Smokin' BBQ of Oak Creek.
What: A benefit barbecue for Chuck Broadbent and Mike Teters
Where: Ladies Aid Hall in Yampa
When: 5 to 8 p.m. June 15
Cost: $1 for adult door-prize tickets, 50 cents for children's door-prize tickets How to help
Benefit accounts have been set up for Mike Teters and Chuck Broadbent.
Contributions for Mike Teters can be made to the Lynnea Teters for Benefit of James Michael Teters Fund at any Wells Fargo bank. The account number is 1583394695.
Contributions for Chuck Broadbent can be made in his name at any First National Bank of the Rockies. The account number is 12022600102586.
Mike Teters' daughter, Lynnea Teters, and Chuck Broadbent's daughter, Sarah Broadbent, will attend the event and update the community about their fathers' progress.
Lynnea Teters said Thursday that her father has undergone two skin graft surgeries and has opened his eyes for the first time since the May 15 accident.
Teters and Broadbent suffered severe second- and third-degree burns to their bodies and faces as a result of a propane explosion. The men were replacing a propane water heater in Teters' home when one of the men lit a match to check the draft, causing the explosion, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Teters and Broadbent were flown to North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley to be treated for their burns.
George Donahue, a friend of Broadbent's, said Broadbent is starting the road to recovery.
"(Chuck) is doing as well as anyone could expect," he said.
Members of Broadbent's immediate family did not return phone calls Thursday.
Lynnea Teters said she and her 20-year-old sister Brandy have been at the hospital visiting their father since he was injured.
Watching their father get better has helped the girls cope with his injuries.
"He can open his eyes and make eye contact, though it is still blurry to him. He can't quite see faces, but he knows our voices and somewhat responds to them," she said. "I will ask him if he can see me, and he will nod his head. I will rub his foot and ask him if he can feel it and he will shake his head, 'Yes.'"
Lynnea Teters said her father has additional surgeries ahead of him. A tracheotomy has helped him breathe easier.
Benefit accounts have been set up for both men, and their families have requested that donations be made to the funds in lieu of flowers because neither man can have flowers in his hospital room.
-- To reach Alexis DeLaCruz, call 871-4234
or e-mail adelacruz@steamboatpilot.com
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