Benefit held for woman paralyzed after tree limb fell on her

OCONOMOWOC -- Laura Dwyer was gardening one May afternoon when a 600-pound tree limb fell on her, and a downed power line nearly electrocuted her. Dwyer is now in a wheelchair after the tree left her paralyzed. Now, Dwyer's congregation is on a mission to help Dwyer and her family during this difficult time.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church held a Zumba marathon Saturday, July 14th for Dwyer and her family. Dwyer suffered crushed ribs, a broken leg and a severed spinal cord after the tree limb fell on her.

"She's doing really well. We're just trying to get a schedule down right now. She's a very active person and mother, so I think we all took it personally. This has been a life-changing event, and without all the help from the community and from the people around us, we would never make it through this," Dwyer's husband, Chris said.

Chris said his wife is in great spirits and going through physical therapy, but there are challenges ahead, including making their home wheelchair accessible.

Over 150 participants were in high spirits sweating and dancing it out in a hot gymnasium Saturday, praying for the recovery of one of their own.

A silent auction was also held to benefit the Dwyer family. Thrivent Financial decided to match donations up to $5,000 from funds raised on Saturday.

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