Daughter learns perseverance from Oswego dad who overcame injuries to walk again
By Katie Morell For The Beacon-News June 18, 2011 4:32PM
Michael Beamish, top left, spends time with his family; Sam, 18, right, Katelyn, 12, bottom left, Elizabeth, 7, bottom, Spencer, 4 and his wife Cindy, not pictured, at their home in Oswego on Thursday, June 16, 2011. A Police officer by trade, Michael was hit by a drunk driver in 1999 and spent years recovering, learning to walk again alongside daughter Katelyn. | Brian Powers~Sun-Times Media
Updated: October 1, 2011 12:37AM
Most daughters bond with their fathers through shared interests such as sports, movies, or books. Katelyn Beamish, an 11-year-old Oswego resident, and her father, Michael, share a special bond from learning to walk at the same time.
The story is a tragic one that began Dec. 19, 1999, just six months to the day after Katelyn was born. Michael, a West Chicago police officer, was making a routine traffic stop on Route 59 when a car came around a corner and hit him head on. The car dragged him down the road and ran over his legs. Michael was in a coma for a week, underwent 10 surgeries, and came home in a wheelchair, unable to walk.
“My injuries were pretty catastrophic; I required inpatient care,” Michael said. “I was released a month and a half later.”
About six months after the accident, he went into physical therapy to learn to walk again. At the same time, little Katelyn was trying to stand up.
“I learned to move when my Dad was in a wheelchair, and I took my first steps as he tried to walk in his walker,” she said. “I remember seeing my Dad next to me, trying to walk with me.”
Progression for Katelyn came a little easier than for Michael, he said.
“I was able to get up in a walker, but I was in a lot of pain doing it,” he said. “Katelyn was progressing naturally. It actually became a thing in our family to see who would walk first. Katelyn ended up beating me, but not by much.”
Steps for both of them were monumental feats — Katelyn learning to walk for the first time and Michael beating the odds to stand again.
“None of the doctors thought he would walk again, but he proved them all wrong,” Katelyn said.
At the time of the accident, Michael and his wife Cindy had one other child: Sam, now 18 years old. Since then, they’ve had two more children: Elizabeth, who is 7 years old, and Spencer, who is 4 years old.
Today, Michael is a stay-at-home Dad. Although he is unable to return to work, he can walk.
“He has some pain in his legs, but he is doing pretty well,” said Katelyn, a soon-to-be seventh-grader at Traughber Jr. High School.
Michael helps coach Katelyn’s soccer team, but is not able to join in on the game.
“I can’t kick the ball with them because I have chronic pain, but I stand on the sidelines and cheer,” he said.
Michael is a role model, Katelyn said.
“We are all very proud of our Dad for all that he has accomplished and teaching us that nothing is too hard to overcome,” Katelyn said.
Although he still suffers, Michael said he looks at the positive.
“I am doing a lot better,” he said. “I am so lucky to be alive; every day is Father’s Day now.”
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