An Omaha man is recovering after being involved in a serious ATV crash while on a trip to Idaho.
Mike Kershaw suffered a traumatic brain injury when he crashed his ATV at the St. Anthony sand dunes. He had to be life-flighted from Idaho to the Madonna Rehabilitation facility in Omaha.
His road to recovery is very long and complicated.
Kershaw survived the fall but spent time in a coma, and is just now beginning to open his eyes.
"He's starting to wake up more, open his eyes more, follow you around," said Penny Kershaw, wife of Mike Kershaw.
RELATED: Family working to bring Omaha man home after ATV accident in Idaho
His latest hurdle is battling a bout of pneumonia but his family says there's the chance his health care may be interrupted because of issues with insurance.
Kershaw is being treated at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital's Omaha campus. There - he's receiving physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
Kershaw's wife, Penny and their two children, visit him daily and hope to keep close to home during his recovery.
"He's my best friend. You know, he was it for me. I can't see my life without him in it," said Penny Kershaw.
Mike is a long-time employee of UPS and has health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield Illinois. But Penny Kershaw says she's had to petition the insurance company several times to continue Mike's care at Madonna.
"Nobody will take him because he requires too much care. And the insurance wants him to be moved out of Madonna because it's too much care and we can't take anybody to take him," said Penny Kershaw.
The family is now considering moving Kershaw to a different facility which insurance will cover. But they hope to keep him in Omaha close to family.
"We are looking as far away as Kansas and I don't want to do that," said Penny Kershaw. "I have two kids:16 and 14. They want to see their dad and I want to see their dad."
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois messaged the Kershaw family saying that the insurance company will look into their case.
The Kershaw family hopes to keep Mike at Madonna until he's strong, and then move him to a long term care facility in the metro, but it's also uncertain whether long term care costs will also be covered.
RELATED: Kershaw family sets up GoFundMe
The family has set up a GoFundMe for care. You can donate by clicking here.
