Dr. Tim Stidham at Logan Health Children’s Hospital remembers each of the big unknowns in 16-year-old Mason Garey’s case after the teen was struck by lightning during soccer practice nearly two years ago.  

He said every hurdle Garey faced seemed to reveal another, but how he handled those obstacles inspired the entire medical team.  

"I've cared for many critically ill kids over the years and I've hoped for more miracles than I could count. With your family, it's the first time I've ever used the word miracle or miraculous. ... Not just because everything turned out perfectly, but because you simply overcame those obstacles,” Stidham said on Thursday as Garey was inducted into the hospital’s Hall of Heroes.  

The teenager, who spent two months in the hospital following the lightning strike, said it was good to see so many familiar faces during the July 9 ceremony.  

The Logan Health Children’s Hospital Hall of Heroes was created to spotlight former patients who overcame incredibly difficult circumstances. Hospital personnel hope the stories serve as comfort to families enduring hard times while they have a child receiving care in the facility.    

“The Hall of Heroes is all about strength, resilience and courage. It’s about what happens after patients leave these walls, which is really where the story just begins. And I think you've shown that to us,” Stidham told Garey.  

Stidham said he had the honor of helping Garey warm up for the Glacier Range Riders game last week, where the teen got to throw out the first pitch.  

Garey, who now lives in Nebraska, is the first patient inducted into the Hall of Heroes since the unveiling of the initial 12 children honored in July 2024.  

He’s still in recovery but continues to play soccer in hopes that he can soon get back on the pitch with a team.  

“Just physical therapy every day, still trying to get back out there on the soccer fields,” he said.  

IT WAS during a soccer practice at the Glacier High School athletic fields on Aug. 19, 2024, that a lightning strike injured Garey, another student and a coach. The coach and the other student were released from Logan Health Medical Center a few days later, but Garey remained in intensive care for weeks.  

Bystanders and first responders jumped into action, giving him CPR on the field before he was taken to Logan Health, where he continued to receive lifesaving care.  

His mother, Chelsey Garey, said the lightning strike hit him in the heart and came out of his feet. Left with heart and nerve damage throughout his entire body. Mason Garey’s daily physical therapy consists of agility training and strengthening the right side of his body.  

Chelsey Garey said during her son’s two-month hospital stay, days were long and stressful. But consistent small wins gave the family hope.  

“We had a really good care team here and every day Mason was making progress. Even if it seemed small, it was progress. We took every win we could get,” Chelsey Garey said.  

During his induction to the Hall of Heroes last week, Garey, his family and several of the staff at Logan Health Children’s Hospital wore shirts that read ‘BAMM’ — which stands for ‘Bad Ass Miracle Man.’ Garey said the shirts were the idea of Lori Williamson, founder of the Sunshine Factory, and Amy Rohyans Stewart, Logan Health Children’s Child Life Supervisor. 

Rohyan Stewart’s role is to help children and families navigate the process of illness, injury, disability, trauma or hospitalization. She spent hours playing with Lincoln, Garey’s now 11-year-old brother, during their family’s extensive stay at Logan Health Children’s.  

"When Mason got extubated, he looked over at his brother and he stuck his tongue out at him. Lincoln lit up like a Christmas tree,” Rohyan Stewart said. “And it was just the best part. It really is the moment that sticks with me. That was when we knew things were going to be OK.” 

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support. 

    Mason Garey and family stand by Garey's Hall of Heroes picture at Logan Health Children's on Thursday, July 9. Garey was struck by lightning during soccer tryouts at Glacier High School on Aug. 19, 2024. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider