KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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The Lawrence community is supporting a local hero after his decade-long battle with testicular cancer left him paralyzed last year.
Lawrence first became familiar with Thomas Westerhaus in 2022 after he saved a 4-year-old boy from drowning.
READ MORE | 12-year-old boy and his dad recognized as hometown heroes after saving toddler from drowning
“There was a boy who had entered the pool in our apartment complex," Westerhaus recalled. "[He] had gotten under the gate and somehow went immediately to the water and started to drown."
Westerhaus pulled the boy out of the pool and began performing CPR on him.
Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical officials said the boy was under the water for about three and a half minutes. Those same officials recognized Westerhaus and his then-12-year-old son for their heroic actions that day.
“My son and his friends were out there playing by the apartments and alerted me to this (the drowning)," Westerhaus said.
Unknown to many, Westerhaus was fighting his own battle at the time. He was still recovering from a surgery that removed one of his lungs and a part of his aorta.
“It can get pretty intense, really, I’d say," he said. "Testicular cancer, a lot of people think it’s just localized or doesn’t spread too much, but it does.”
The cancer continued to spread to his spine.
“It happened last July when I lost the ability to walk," he said.
Westerhaus now depends on ride services that are equipped to accommodate his powered wheelchair to get to his medical appointments.
His wife, Michelle, has been fighting this battle alongside him.
“They’re very affordable, and the drivers are all always great," Michelle Westerhaus said. "It’s just very limited, and sometimes we can’t get an appointment with them, so we’re kinda just reliant on what they have available."
The couple enjoys grabbing a bite to eat around town and visiting Clinton Lake. They were dining at Terrebonne on Massachusetts Street when Thomas got the call he needed surgery that would take away his mobility.
“He got the phone call he had to go to Kansas City and check in that night," Michelle Westerhaus said. "Totally ruined the meal for us. Hopefully, we can go back.”
"We're going to return," Thomas Westerhaus replied.
A GoFundMe has raised over $33,000 to help the Westerhauses purchase a wheelchair van.
“Not only the community we’re in now, but the community we were raised in, a lot of people are showing support from there," Michelle Westerhaus said. "It’s just people we haven’t talked to in years are showing their support.”
Thomas and Michelle say the wheelchair van would help with more than medical appointments.
"Definitely a lot more freedom and enjoyment in life, really," Thomas Westerhaus said.
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