Joey Shuman is of good cheer one year after devastating accident
One of Santa's beloved local helpers is enjoying his own personal Christmas time miracle. Joey Shuman, better known to many local children as Santa Claus, has almost completely recovered from a devastating car wreck last Christmas season that initially left him paralyzed from the neck down. He still has a little weakness in his right arm, but Shuman says he knows just how blessed he truly is. His wife calls him “a walking miracle” and Shuman agrees.
Nearly one year ago, December 4, Shuman was dressed in his custom made Santa suit and on the way to a photo shoot. He came to a stop at the four way intersection by Sunshine Grocery. Proceeding through the intersection, his whole world changed. Another vehicle, traveling 65 miles per hour, blew through the intersection without stopping and collided with Shuman’s vehicle. Shuman’s car was hit once, spun around and then hit again before coming to a stop.
Shuman says he never lost consciousness through the entire event. He recalls being thrown from the driver seat into the passenger side of the vehicle as it was smashed ahead of the car that hit him. He knew right away he couldn’t move any of his body from the neck down. As a young man smashed out the window of his car, about to pull him out, Shuman recalls telling the young man to not move him and to call 911 instead. Shuman had been an EMS worker before he became one of Santa’s local stand-ins, so he knew it was vital he not be moved until trained responders were on the scene.
Soon, Shuman was airlifted by helicopter to UF Shands in Jacksonville, FL, where he would stay in ICU for a week. Once stabilized, he was moved to UF North to begin the long road to recovery.
“I thought I was going to beat it quick,” Shuman says. The first thing that came back was the feeling in his legs and the ability to bend his knees.
Shuman was encouraged and grateful, “I didn’t realize I would have to relearn to walk,” says Shuman. “But I was very motivated.”
Part of what motivated Shuman to recover as completely as he did was the outpouring of love and support from not just his family, but the community at large, including his fellow Santas and the children that believe in Shuman and the rest of that bearded brotherhood as symbols of generosity and kindness.
“I got a lot of correspondence while I was in the hospital,” says Shuman, a tremor of emotion in his voice, “The community was amazing. Lots of kids, whole classes, were sending me letters and cards.”
Not just kids were worried about him. As soon as word of the accident got out Shuman’s phone began to blow up. Most days, especially early on when Shuman was in the ICU, his wife, Sheila, was by his side. The outpouring of support was so overwhelming. It fell to the Shumans' son, a youth minister at Walkerville Church, to take the lead on keeping others informed of his father's condition.
That concerned community Shuman is so grateful for was not willing to lose him nor Santa. The day of the accident, Shuman had been on his way to a photo shoot arranged by Teresa Alonso. After the accident, Alonso swiftly switched gears. She was the one who began the GoFundMe to help Shuman with his medical bills. Even the EMS workers, upon arriving in response to the 911 call, seemed to realize they had someone special on their hands. Instead of cutting Shuman out of his Santa suit as they might have someone in everyday street clothes they removed the specially made suit with great care as if they already knew he would need it again one day.
It turns out they were right. Shuman would need his Santa suit again, but it took time. He spent a month in rehab at UF North and then months of outpatient physical therapy after that. “When I first got home, my right hand an arm were still out of commission,” says Shuman. “Couldn’t even lift it up. Luckily, I’m left-handed.”
That made things hard for a while around the Shuman family farm. Lots of things Shuman was used to doing, he now had to rely upon his wife to accomplish or she had to do them herself. Just prior to the accident they had gotten a greenhouse, but Shuman wasn’t able to help tend to anything growing in it. Looking back, he says that people take lots of things for granted, such as being able to button up a shirt by themselves. For a period of time, Shuman’s wife had to help him bathe and get dressed, but it doesn’t seem unusual that ‘Mrs. Claus” would help “Santa”. After all, behind every great man is a woman, in and out of costume. “She’s awesome,” Shuman says with warmth in his voice.
“I’ve been trying to take it easy this year,” says Shuman. “But it’s not easy to take it easy. Everybody loves Santa Claus and it’s hard to say no to people.”
What seems clear is people love Shuman as much as they do Santa. Indeed, it is hard to separate the two.
“It’s amazing,” says Shuman. “I did a photo shoot with some people a year ago, then go through all this and now, I just did another shoot with the same family. The first thing they said to me was asking how I was doing, saying how glad they are to see me.”
There have been a lot of conversations like that since Shuman donned the familiar red suit, cap and boots once more. He’s glad and grateful to not only be on his feet once more but flush with working engagements filling in for the jolly old elf. Since the last week of October, Shuman has been making appearances as Santa. “From Thanksgiving on, I’ll be wide open,” he says confidently, “From Florida to Savannah.”
Most of all, Shuman feels blessed. He says he knows that God was watching over him during the accident and throughout his recovery.
“My wife says I’m a walking miracle and she’s right. I could have been in a wheelchair for the rest of my life,” says Shuman. “God has been so good to me and so many people sent up prayers for me. I’ll never forget it.”
