A man who was cut in half by a forklift has answered the one question everyone is always asking.
Loren Schauers’ Life-Altering Accident
In September 2019, Loren Schauers, a laborer from Montana, U.S.A., experienced a devastating accident that changed his life forever.
While operating a forklift, he lost control and fell over 50 feet off the side of a bridge. The impact crushed the lower half of his body and one of his arms beneath the heavy machinery.
Miraculously, Loren survived but his injuries were so severe that he had to undergo a rare and extreme surgical procedure known as a hemicorporectomy, which involves the removal of the lower half of the body.
Loren Schauers’ Incredible Will to Live
A hemicorporectomy also known as a trans-lumbar amputation is one of the most extreme surgical procedures, involving the removal of the lower half of the body, including the pelvic bones, internal organs, lower limbs, and external genitalia, according to the National Library of Medicine.
In addition to this rare surgery, Loren also had to have his arm amputated after it was crushed in the accident.
In an interview with RTL 4, Loren recalled the moment doctors gave him a life-changing choice: “The question was, do you want to live or die? Do you want to live with the situation now or die with the life you had?”
Despite the unimaginable challenges, Loren chose life—and he hasn’t looked back. He and his wife, Sabia, share their inspiring journey on YouTube, where they’ve built a community of over 639,000 subscribers.
In their videos, the couple candidly discusses their hopes for the future, including dreams of traveling and starting a family.
Loren on Friendship and Life After the Accident
During a Q&A session, Loren was asked: “Do your friends still treat you the same way they did before the accident? Are you happy, surprised, or disappointed by any of them?”
Loren responded honestly, admitting he felt “a little disappointed” by some.
“A couple of friends came out of the woodwork and have been really supportive. [Others] totally pulled away and became reclusive,” he said. “But it’s whatever to me, you know? I’ve got Sabia—that’s all I need.”
Sabia echoed the sentiment, adding: “Going through this together has definitely strengthened many parts of our relationship.”
As their YouTube channel has grown, so has public curiosity sometimes crossing into deeply personal territory. The couple has faced increasingly intrusive questions, particularly about their intimate life following Loren’s surgery.
Setting Boundaries on Personal Questions
Responding to a frequently asked and deeply personal question, Sabia told the Daily Star: “A question we get repeatedly is, ‘How do we have sex and how do we become intimate?’”
She firmly added, “That is a very personal question that we are never going to answer or even hint at, as it’s incredibly disrespectful. You wouldn’t ask a random couple on the street how they have sex, and just because our circumstances are different, it doesn’t give anyone the right to ask.”
While the couple chooses to keep their intimacy private, Loren has been open about other aspects of his life post-surgery—frequently answering questions about how he uses the bathroom.
Loren Explains His Medical Routine
In a YouTube Q&A, Loren openly shared how his body functions post-surgery:
“I have a colostomy, which means my colon is pulled out of my body so I can poop. And I have bilateral nephrostomies—those are tubes that go into my kidneys and drain into bags. So that’s how I poop, pee, and fart.”
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, a colostomy is a surgical opening created in the large intestine to allow waste to exit the body.
Sabia plays a vital role in Loren’s daily care, changing his colostomy bag each day and helping him shower.
