Rapid City, S.D. – After a stray bullet pierced a wall of their home on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and struck their son Steven in the head, Daneen and Robert Martin faced a grim prognosis. Doctors warned the young boy might never speak, eat or stand again.
Against those odds, Steven survived, but his recovery is extensive. While at Sanford Children’s Hospital he suffered eight strokes, leaving him with total paralysis on his left side. Bullet fragments remain lodged in his brain, preventing future MRIs and making even minor head bumps dangerous.
Ongoing medical challenges
Steven now lives with aphasia, a speech and cognitive disorder, and relies on a mechanical hoist, a specialized car seat and an implanted gastrointestinal tube (G‑tube) for nutrition. The family must maintain a low‑stimulation environment because ordinary household noise causes severe cognitive fatigue.
“Every day is a climb up that ladder, but we’re getting there,” said Robert Martin, who is also battling cancer. “Watching these miracles happen every day just kind of gave us a self‑belief that we can do it, and we’re doing it.”
Relocation and financial strain
Following the shooting, the Martins left Pine Ridge, moving more than 300 miles east to Sioux Falls to be near specialized pediatric care. They now split time between two households – a separate handicap‑accessible apartment for Steven and their family home – to meet his strict environmental needs.
Medicaid does not cover many of Steven’s daily necessities, including adult diapers, specialized pediatric nutritional formula, and frequent feeding‑tube parts. The family’s life savings have been exhausted on temporary hotel stays, double rent and vehicle repairs. An engine failure left them without reliable transportation just days before Steven’s scheduled discharge on the 13th.
Applications for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are pending, but state and federal approvals can take six to eight months.
Community fundraising effort
To bridge the gap, the Martins have relaunched a GoFundMe campaign seeking donations for non‑insured medical supplies, specialized dietary formulas and accessible transportation. “We’re jumping through all the hoops, and we’re doing everything that they ask of us, but it’s hard to keep up and stay ahead,” said Daneen Martin. “If I could get that little bit of help, it would take some strain off me to be able to focus on his treatment and get him into a safe environment.”
Community members who wish to support Steven and his family can donate directly to the verified fundraiser at GoFundMe.com.
Original reporting: KOTA (Gray) – local — read the source article.
