‘A miracle’: Snowboarder healing after scary accident

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- A Sioux Falls man is on the mend after a snowboarding accident nearly left him paralyzed. His life is almost back to normal thanks to determination and unwavering support from his friends and family. Nate Iveland started snowboarding after he moved to Sioux Falls in the 1980s. "I remember being out at Great Bear, probably in 1986 or 1987, and I saw my first snowboard. It sounded like a big wheel coming down the road, and that's what I wanted to do, so I started snowboarding after that," Nate Iveland said. He eventually started racing at Great Bear, which was what he was doing on January 29 when he suffered an injury that would completely alter his life for the next few months. "My snowboard came out from underneath me, and I tried to save it. I just made it worse. I ended up sliding headfirst into a 4x4 off the side of the trail," Nate Iveland said. Iveland described it as a freak accident. It left him with fractures in his neck and back and unable to work. "The doctor had taken the X-ray and he basically said I was lucky I didn't go into paralysis on the way there," Nate Iveland said. "It was a very scary time for our family," Nate Iveland's mother, Jennifer Holsen said. "It didn't really hit me until I was driving to work the next morning. Then, I just started bawling because all these things were just going through my head. It was just unbelievable," Nate's wife, Lori Iveland said. After having surgery, Iveland worked hard during his physical therapy. "He's getting ready to go back to work in a week. It's a miracle, really. We consider it a miracle," Holsen said. It's not something Iveland could have done without support from his friends and family. Fundraisers like the one at The Smoked Culture in Sioux Falls Sunday and a GoFundMe that raised $20,000 have meant a lot to him. "I can't tell you what all the love and support has meant to me and my family," Nate Iveland said. "It's been amazing." And he hopes to be back at Great Bear. "I'm going to be snowboarding next winter. I don't know if I'm going to be racing again, but I'll probably go slow a little bit," Nathan Iveland said. Iveland says he'll be back to work on May 5th. Details to the GoFundMe can be found here.