A Green Bay police officer’s family is raising money for his family after he was critically injured while hunting, accord to GoFundMe.
Austen Jahnke, a Green Bay police officer and sergeant first class in the Wisconsin National Guard, fell from his saddle while he was hunting with a friend on Oct. 30. He was admitted to the intensive care unit with broken ribs, sternum, and back, according to a GoFundMe set up to support Jahnke and his family. He hopes to regain feeling from his waist down following his surgery.
“With his broken ribs and sternum, he is in a lot of pain but fighting through to pull himself up to a sitting position,” his wife Miranda said on the GoFundMe fundraiser.
Jahnke and his wife are having their first baby next year. His family is raising donations to support the family and Jahnke’s recovery.
As of Nov. 5, the fundraiser raised over $37,500, about $7,000 short of its $45,000 goal.
Green Bay Police Chief Chris Davis said the police department is rallying behind Jahnke.
“We are doing everything we can to support him and his family, and putting their needs first during this difficult time. We respectfully ask that the family’s wish for privacy be honored,” Davis said in a statement.
Donate at www.gofundme.com/f/support-austen-jahnkes-road-to-recovery.
Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Community supports Green Bay police officer injured while hunting; GoFundMe set up
Reporting by Benita Mathew, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
