An avid outdoorsman, Steele McLaren was out with friends on a duck hunt when a gust of wind knocked the duck blinds he had been holding out of the back of the truck. Steele suffered a broken C1 vertebrae, had several skull fractures and a traumatic brain injury. He spent 19 days in a coma and 26 days on a ventilator at University of Nebraska Medical Center before coming to Madonna. He moved through the pediatric disorders of consciousness program, cheered on by thousands of Facebook followers on his page, ‘Praying for Steele #32 Strong.’ The former three-sport athlete showed everyone why he was ‘Strong as Steele,’ by far surpassing what doctors initially thought was possible. Since leaving Madonna, Steele has gone on to walk across the stage at his high school graduation, get his driver’s license, work at a local tractor store and attend classes at Des Moines Area Community College, majoring in agricultural business.
