The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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December 9, 2008

Teen draws on family for inspiration

Family perseveres depsite several setbacks

By Dan Nienaber

MANKATO — Facing the possibility of spending Christmas recovering from surgery in a hospital room far from home, 14-year-old Rebecca Howard has a positive way of looking at her family’s situation.

“I think it’s brought us even closer together,” she said. “We’ve gone through so many hard times and didn’t realize what family meant until we went through this. Now we’re stronger than before.”

Becca, as she’s known to her friends and family, was hospitalized Nov. 21 after suffering a stroke caused by a brain aneurysm. While she was in the hospital in Rochester, doctors discovered her lungs had been damaged by bacterial infections. She’s back at home in Eagle Lake now but will return to Rochester this month for surgery.

When she talks about what’s making her family stronger, though, Becca isn’t just talking about her health problems.

Her stepfather, Mankato firefighter Bill Reiniger, spent the summer recovering from injuries he received in a fall. He was helping a family member put shingles on a roof last spring when he fell 23 feet, breaking his pelvis and seven ribs.

Heather Reiniger, Becca’s mother, has been ill as well. She shares a rare immune disorder with Becca and was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in July. Her doctors told her to stop working.

It’s a milder version of the immune disorder that infected the Reinigers’ son, Johnny. He was just a toddler, and Becca was just starting school, when he died eight years ago.

Bill has recovered from his fall and recently returned to work. But, with just one income, the medical bills are stacking up quickly, Heather said. A benefit dinner and silent auction Friday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church will help, she said.

“When I read the flier for the dinner, it didn’t even seem like it was our family,” Heather said. “It’s been pretty difficult. We haven’t been able to keep up with our house payment, and we’re worried we’re going to lose our house. Reality hasn’t caught up with everything else.”

One of Bill Reiniger’s relatives in Sleepy Eye contacted the Mankato Fire Department and asked for help with the benefit. Cmdr. Tim Murry, Reiniger’s boss, said fellow firefighters were happy to help.

Crews already had been donating vacation time into a pool that Reiniger was able to draw on while he was injured. For the past couple of weeks, co-workers have been gathering items for a silent auction and getting the word out about the benefit.

“It’s a tough time for something like this to happen,” Murry said. “But I’m really glad people are rallying around the family.”

Both Bill and Heather Reiniger said they’re thankful for the support. Through it all, Becca has kept the mood positive. It’s hard to tell she’s sick, even though her illness has kept her from going to school, they said.

“It’s easy to keep a smile on our face because, if she can keep a smile on her face, it brightens our day,” Heather said.

Becca said it was her family, and the community as a whole, that are keeping her spirits up.

“I’m looking forward to Friday because all the community is coming together,” she said. “It is such an inspiration. They say I’m an inspiration, but they’re an inspiration to me to keep going and be strong.

“It’s going to be very emotional.”

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