Tyler Nunnenkamp works out on a physical therapy machine at Memorial Rehab in Aurora. With him is his good friend and physical therapist, Kyle Shaffer – courtesy photo
Through tough times Aurora family maintains a positive attitude of gratitude
Written by Ron Burtz
From the outside looking in, it would appear that Tyler and Stacey Nunnenkamp don’t have a great deal to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season. But despite years of illness and numerous hospitalizations and surgeries for Tyler, the Aurora couple remains upbeat and positive, grateful for the grace of God and the outpouring of constant prayers, love, and support they have received over the years from their community.
Tyler grew up in Henderson, attending Faith Evangelical Bible Church and later Nebraska Christian Schools in Central City, beginning in 4th grade. After graduating from NC he went to college to become an electrician and worked in that trade until health issues that had begun during his college years forced him to quit.
“In college, I was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis with liver cirrhosis,” he said. “Over the past 10 years, this has spiraled into many other health problems… I have endured meningitis, spent multiple weeks on a ventilator in the ICU, pneumonia, tracheotomy, blood clots, four brain surgeries, septic shock, bleeding issues, chronic nerve damage, infection,s and the list goes on.”
Over the years, he has been life-flighted to Nebraska Medicine in Omaha on more than one occasion. The most recent time was March 27, 2023, when he was found to be unresponsive. He finally came home nearly seven months later on Oct. 15. That was followed by regular trips to Omaha for blood testing. He has also been told by doctors he will need a liver transplant at some point in the future.
“My family has come to say goodbye to me a couple times when they weren’t sure I would live through the night,” he said.
“While I might not remember most of what I have been through, we rely on God to get us through every situation. He has been faithful and we continue to trust that He will take care of us.”
Tyler said he is also grateful for Stacey’s medical knowledge as a nurse, saying that has been a huge help in his difficult journey.
‘This chronic illness has made me see that dying does not have to be scary because in heaven there is no sickness or pain. We talk often about heaven in our home because we want our kids to know the truth. I want people to remember through my sickness journey that I was not hopeless, and my attitude was joyful. It reminds me to be thankful for every moment I have here.’
Working to walk again
Currently, Tyler is unable to walk due to fluid that has built up in his body from one of his recent hospitalizations and scar tissue that has accumulated in his spinal cord. However, with the help of physical therapy and a step machine that sits in the family’s dining room, he has lost weight and is slowly getting his strength back with the hope of walking again.
“This thing kind of helps me get going and do something about what’s going on,” he said, referring to the machine. “It keeps me encouraged to do something. They had me at 300 pounds or whatever, and I was at my heaviest in the hospital just from pumping fluids and everything. I came down to 187 the other day.”
“He lost over 100 pounds riding that machine hours a day,” Stacey added. “He’s using it to try to get stronger, to be able to walk. You lose a lot of muscle and everything else sitting in the hospital, so it’s kind of motivated him to just get better… It was given to us by a friend from the community. They didn’t need it anymore, and so they gave us that machine, so that’s been a huge blessing, that he can ride it day and night. I mean, he’ll ride it six to eight hours a day. It gives him something to do. He’ll listen to his Bible reading or he’ll listen to music or something while he’s going.”
Resilient children
The Nunnenkamps’ two children – 9-year-old Carter and 6-year-old Brooklyn – have not been sheltered from the reality of their dad’s situation; in fact, the parents say they talk about it regularly in their home.
“They’ve watched me call 911 before, and the ambulance came, and have had to kind of sit through that,” Stacey said. “Lots of hard questions, big questions of, ‘Is Daddy gonna die? When are you coming home? Who’s going to be with us? Where are we going to go next? How are we going to get to school?’ But they’ve grown so much. It’s still very traumatic, but we try to talk about heaven a lot so that… if Daddy dies, he’s going to heaven, and it’s not scary.”
Stacey said because of their frankness about Tyler’s condition, both of their children have come to a personal faith in Christ for themselves and have grown in other ways as well, which she said helps make their trials worthwhile.
“I feel like it changes their compassion and perspective for others too, people who are sick or hurting,” she said. “They notice it instantly… If we went to a basketball game and somebody hurt their leg, and you know, it’s all of a sudden, ‘Do they need to go to the hospital? Do they need a doctor? What can we do to help them? We should pray for them…’ Sometimes we just wish they didn’t have to go through the hurt of this, but it’s also kind of exciting to see how God can use it in the future… We talk about it all the time, that Jesus is with us wherever we go, and whether I’m with you or I’m not, that’s how it goes. And they know that. And you know, we try to quote back some memory verses quick to each other or sing a song or say a prayer, and we tell them we’ll be with them back again as soon as we can. But kids are resilient.”
A new look at life
Tyler said his illness has given him a unique perspective on life and has deepened his faith in God.
“Through this sickness, it has impacted my view of life here on earth,” he said. “I can see now how short life can be compared to eternity. It is so important that we know where we are going when we die, and having a personal relationship with the Lord is the most important thing. This chronic illness has made me see that dying does not have to be scary because in heave,n there is no sickness or pain. We talk often about heaven in our home because we want our kids to know the truth. I want people to remember through my sickness journey that I was not hopeless, and my attitude was joyful. It reminds me to be thankful for every moment I have here.”
A network of support
The Nunnenkamps say they are also eternally grateful for the outpouring of love and support they have received from their church — Heartland Evangelical Free Church in Central City — and from family members and fellow believers in the Aurora community as well.
That caring network is kept informed through the Facebook page “Prayers for Tyler Nunnenkamp,” which was started by Stacey’s sister the first time Tyler was life-flighted to Omaha several years ago.
“I couldn’t keep up with the calls and texts,” she said, adding that the page was a way to keep everyone informed. Over the years, the page has grown to more than 5,100 followers, and Stacey said that when she forgets to post updates, followers will request them.
Tyler Nunnenkamp has spent hours a day over the past several months working out on this step machine that was donated by a friend in the community. Through the workouts and physical therapy, he has lost over 100 pounds since a hospitalization, which caused his body to build up fluids. – News-Register/Ron Burtz
We’ve been at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha for doctor visits, and people we don’t even know will recognize us from the Facebook page and come up and talk to us,” she said.
Commenting on that support system of family and friends, Tyler said people stand willing to help at a moment’s notice, “Whether it’s helping care for our children, providing meals, sitting at the hospital with us, praying with us, tending our house.”
Emotional and spiritual support also comes from a Bible study group made up of friends from various churches. For Tyler’s convenience, the group meets in their home.
Friends have sponsored several GoFundMe projects to help cover his medical expenses. He also expressed his thanks to the medical teams at Memorial Community Health and Physical Therapy, Madonna Rehab Center in Omaha, and those at UNMC in Omaha.
Commenting on ANR’s request for the interview that led to this article, Stacey said, “When Tyler told me about it, I said, ‘What do you think about that? Doesn’t that make you nervous?’ And he said, ‘No, if I could tell somebody how great God is and what He’s done in our life, why would I say no?’ That’s kind of our biggest goal is to tell others how great God is, even when it doesn’t go the way you expect it.”
The Nunnenkamps say when times are toughest, they hold on to the truth expressed in Psalm 55:22: “Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous be shaken.”
Tyler and Stacey Nunnenkamp pose for a family photo with their children Brooklyn, 6, and Carter, 9 – photo courtesy Karla Schneider
