By Jessie Gorges, editor

 In the Breitenstein household, the tree is still up and a wreath still hangs on the door. The family hopes to keep the Christmas decorations up until Austin comes home from the hospital.

“Christmas is his favorite holiday,” said Brooke Breitenstein , Austin’s sister and a senior at Friends University. 

Austin, a Friends sophomore, was in a car accident Dec. 4. While Austin was driving on I-235 to his Falcon Glenn apartment about 1 a.m., he struck a light pole and rolled his truck.

“We think he veered off the highway and overcorrected,” said Julie Breitenstein, Austin’s mother.

The accident caused Austin to have a severe brain injury. His frontal lobe is bruised. His left arm and left leg are mobile, but the right side of his body is not.

“He cannot speak, but he can read,” Julie said. “He communicates with his eyes.”

After the accident, Austin was admitted into Via Christi Regional Medical Center. After almost four weeks, he was flown to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Neb. , where he is in occupational and physical therapy.

The family is not sure when he will be released, but Julie estimates is won’t be for another two to six months.

“Every brain injury is different,” she said, and the family won't know what he can accomplish until he does it.

 While Austin is on his way to recovery, the first couple of weeks were uncertain. When Austin was having surgery, the doctors asked the family what they wanted to do with Austin’s organs in case he didn’t survive, Julie said.

“Some days were good; some days were bad,” she said. “We knew we’d be living a rollercoaster.”

Julie spends 12 hours a day in the hospital room tending to Austin, and she intends to stay with him until he is released. It’s hard for her to see Austin stuck in a hospital bed.

“He’s always on the go all the time,” she said

In addition to being a student and working at the Olive Garden, Austin was involved in intramurals and played soccer, although he red-shirted last season.

While Julie takes care of Austin in the hospital, Brooke and Austin’s father, Larry, commute to Lincoln when possible. Brooke not only misses him as a brother, but as a close friend on campus.

“We pretty much tell each other everything,” Brooke said.

While some siblings may have a hard time getting along, it was never the case with Austin and Brooke, Julie said. “They have this unconditional love”.