Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
WEST HAVEN, Weber County — Dan and Andrea Kotter had been praying for a Christmas miracle because of some financial hardships that fell upon the family of eight.
That miracle happened Dec. 11, when a video they posted online, of Dan Kotter creating a bedroom for his two youngest daughters, went viral. The video posted @thewheelchairdad garnered 25.8 million views on TikTok alone, prompting consequential features in People and Newsweek magazines.
But the video wasn't just any video, and Dan Kotter isn't just any dad.
Ten years ago, Dan Kotter was paralyzed from the waist down while building a home as a construction worker. The accident not only left him without the use of his legs, but he had other injuries, including a torn spleen, collapsed lung and broken pelvis. These injuries have left him with lasting health impacts, including chronic nerve pain and a weakened immune system.
Amid his unimaginable challenges, Kotter, of West Haven, has found a way to not only continue to showcase his talents as a builder, but to share his love for his family. These two things were evident in the video the couple shared on social media Dec. 11. The video shows Kotter getting in and out of his wheelchair unassisted, climbing a ladder and nailing beams to the wall in order to create an unforgettable bedroom space for his two youngest daughters.
Andrea Kotter told KSL.com the video depicts exactly who her husband is.
"Dan is just a person with so much tenacity and grit and he cares more for his family than himself, and that shows in everything he does," she said. "You don't even notice that he's paralyzed or using a wheelchair because he's just going, going, going and always serving me and the kids. He doesn't want his problems to burden other people, and he just pushes through them and gets what he needs to. He's very loving, kind-hearted and strong-willed."
The couple met 10 years ago while Dan Kotter was in rehab following his accident. They each have two children from previous marriages, and have added two more, totaling six kids. Over the past couple of years, the couple has decided to be more open to the world about their struggles and their triumphs, and over time, their online platform has grown. Andrea Kotter said the recent video going viral was the Christmas miracle they had hoped for.
"After that video that went viral last week, we've had a lot of positive things come from that and a lot of help for Christmas," she said. "A few weeks ago, we were getting really desperate. We were calling all of our banks and loans, and asking what they could do to help us or skip payments. We were just feeling really overwhelmed. I told our 11-year-old son that barring a Christmas miracle, we weren't gonna have much of a Christmas, and then the video went viral which generated some income for us on TikTok."
You don't even notice that he's paralyzed or using a wheelchair because he's just going, going, going and always serving me and the kids.
– Andrea Kotter
"We also had a few of our followers begging me to create an Amazon wish list," she continued. "I kept telling them that we've had a rough couple of months, financially, but that I know there are a lot of people that are in more need than we are, and that we weren't trying to beg for help. Many people insisted, and then we ended up having people buy us things. It was definitely a Christmas miracle for us."
During that week, Andrea Kotter said their whole family was on "cloud nine," feeling like things were finally looking up. Little did they know they would find themselves praying for another miracle.
Praying for Dan
On Dec. 21, Dan Kotter wasn't feeling well, and it wasn't just nerve pain; this was different. His wife recalled seeing a steep decline in not only the physical well-being of her husband, but his cognitive function, as well.
"It started with him having really intense nerve pain — he always has nerve pain — but it just started getting really, really bad, and then he started to decline really fast," she told KSL.com.
That night, Andrea Kotter took her husband to University of Utah Hospital where he was put in a medically induced coma while doctors figured out what was going on.
She said doctors suspected a urinary tract infection that spread into Dan's bloodstream and into his spinal fluid — there was a concern about his baclofen pump, which distributes medicine to his spinal canal to assist with pain.
"Doctors are worried that maybe something's malfunctioning with the pump, so he may be having withdrawals from the medication," Andrea Kotter said Saturday. "He has a chronic nerve pain condition that's extremely difficult to treat, and so every time they turn the sedation down, he's just kind of panicking and so they have to keep turning it back up."
For several days, Dan Kotter lay sedated while Andrea Kotter and her family prayed. She turned to social media to update their followers — and, also to ask for prayers.
"We are in the ER and Dan is not doing good," Andrea Kotter wrote in a social media post. "Please pray for him … and me. We haven't slept yet. I need to be with him because he can't speak for himself right now. I'm scared. … if his pump is malfunctioning it is going to be a HUGE problem on so many levels. Please pray."
The Kotters have a strong belief in God and, even in the most difficult of times, she said it has been important for them to hold on to their faith.
"We just know God's in control and that we need to take things as they come and figure it out," she said. "I don't know what else you're supposed to do. You've got to make the best out of what you have."
Home for Christmas
Thanks to an experienced medical team and, very possibly, the combined prayers of thousands, Dan Kotter was able to make it home for Christmas.
"Heading home to our babies," the couple posted on Christmas Day. "We are so beyond thankful. Thank you all for the thousands of prayers you sent up for us and our babies over the last few days. …THEY WERE FELT … you all are our Christmas miracles. We love you all so much."
While Dan Kotter wasn't able to make it home for Christmas morning, Santa Claus found a way to make a stop at the Kotter home that night.
"Santa came last night and we are having our Christmas this morning," Andrea Kotter told KSL.com on Tuesday. "We really feel like this is a miracle to have him home so soon. Dan has been getting choked up and in tears constantly. We are so thankful.
"The cause of this was a UTI gone bad. When you're paralyzed, your body does some crazy things when it gets sick. He is feeling weak and sluggish, but doing incredibly well, considering two days ago he was intubated and sedated."
As for another bedroom-building adventure, the verdict is still out. But Dan Kotter is continuing to show the world his resilience and unwavering devotion to spending time with his family.
The Kotters have been documenting life on their TikTok and Instagram platforms @Thewheelchairdad, as well as their website, thewheelchairdad.com.
