A communication snafu meant that Autumn Oostindie, her mother and her siblings did not learn of the car crash until hours after it had occurred.
Thinking back on the terrible day 10 years ago, Autumn believes that mistake to have been a blessing.
“My mom was taking care of nephews and nieces, and all of us were at school” she said. “Knowing earlier may have only led to being scared and worried with no way to get to my dad.”
Autumn’s dad, Calvin grad Mark Oostindie ’88, was driving home from an appointment in Zeeland, Mich., when his car was slammed by another vehicle—so hard that rescuers had to take the roof off his car to extract him from the wreckage.
Rushed to the hospital, Mark was diagnosed with a closed head injury with severe trauma to the brain. Autumn and her family arrived, watched, waited and prayed.
“I’ll never forget the amazing care my dad received,” said Autumn. “He was tenderly attended to, well beyond what one considers patient hours. Eventually, my dad’s physical therapist actually ran a 5K with my dad. I was so impressed how involved caregivers were in our family’s life.”
Autumn was so impressed that she honed in on physical therapy as a career goal, and when she enrolled at Calvin, she listed kinesiology as her major and pre-physical therapy as her program. She graduates next spring.
“Calvin’s been amazing,” she said. “The coursework was challenging and well-rounded—that really helped on grad school application essays and in interviews. My time here solidified what God has been calling me to do.”
Autumn recently learned she has been granted early admission to Elon (N.C.) University’s graduate program in physical therapy.
For Mark Oostindie, the 10-year journey from the crash to full recovery has been “a testament to God’s faithfulness.”
“I’m awestruck at how many times God stepped into my life,” he said, “from the Zeeland police officer who saved my life by seeing I was still breathing in the car wreck, to the gifted people in the hospitals and therapy centers—even the auto insurance carrier. More light than darkness has been brought into my life.”
Mark had to start all over again cognitively and through “a lot of prayer and a lot of work” has progressed far beyond the initial recovery scale the Oostindies were first shown.
He has been able to again work and thrive as a financial adviser, helping clients with investments, insurance and financial planning.
“Initially I was told that walking would be difficult, if not impossible. I just ran my first half-marathon,” Mark said.
For Autumn, her dad’s courageous recovery and the compassionate and talented therapists who helped him surpass all expectations have inspired her to be that same kind of caregiver.
She has worked at a special needs camp for six straight summers, and her two younger brothers are now doing so as well.
“It was special to have all of my family members come with me to North Carolina for the visit to Elon,” Autumn said. “To become the same kind of patient-oriented therapist that helped my dad would mean so much.”
