Frye up for the fight

Want to help? An online fundraiser seeks to provide Brody Frye's family with financial relief. People can visit gofundme.com and search for the fundraiser "Support Brody's Journey to Heal," which was created by Angela Bartzen. A picture of Brody and his football teammates from a past Huron High School season accompanies the campaign. HURON — Brody Frye never missed a day in the gym, always determined to be in peak physical condition, challenging himself daily for personal growth and health. Now the 2024 Huron High School graduate faces a different kind of challenge — one that requires community support to help him overcome a near-death incident, paralyzing him, from less than a month ago. What happened? Just after 1:30 a.m. on July 27, while driving on Ohio 2 near the Rye Beach Road exit in Huron, Brody's car broke down, according to an Ohio State Highway Patrol report. While in his sedan and parked on the highway's shoulder, a minivan — driven by a 29-year-old Huron man — traveled out of its marked lane. The minivan's driver veered onto the shoulder, rear-ending Brody's car at a high rate of speed. The minivan ventured off the road and down an embankment. The minivan driver didn't sustain any injuries, the report noted. But Brody, upon impact, was ejected from the car, suffering life-threatening injuries. After going to Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky, Brody was flown to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland where he spent six days in the ICU. He was then transferred to MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute in Cleveland. To this day, the former Huron High School football player remains a patient there, recovering from what occurred. Maintaining the faith His main injury, a T10 complete spinal cord injury, has left him paralyzed from the waist down. "The shock and grief that this has caused Brody and our family has been intense," Brody's mother, Karen Frye, said. In a twisted sense of happenstance, just six years ago, Karen's late husband/Brody's late father, Largo Frye, died almost in this exact location on Ohio 2. A head-on, wrong-way driver killed him in 2019. Despite an eerily similar tragedy occurring to their family, Karen and, especially, Brody, remain optimistic. "His strong faith in God is what is getting him through this and because he has such a positive attitude," Karen said. "But Brody is up for the fight. Brody is giving everything he has at rehab and is improving at a remarkable rate." Here to help Many others are rallying around Brody during these tough times. For instance, a handful of people are making the Huron home where Brody and Karen live more handicap accessible. Meanwhile, Angela Bartzen — whose son, Ayden Bartzen, has maintained a lifelong friendship with Brody — started an online fundraiser to ease the family's financial burdens. Titled "Support Brody's Journey to Heal," the gofundme.com campaign has, to date, raised a little more than $13,000 since launching in early August. "Brody has been really strong and positive throughout it all and is ready to fight," Angela wrote on the fundraiser's page. "Let's rally around Brody's family and help them get their house ready for when Brody comes home," she added. "They will have to make some major changes to make things easier for Brody. Keep praying and sending positive vibes to him and his family." Karen appreciates the outpouring of support for Brody. If people can't donate, she asks people to simply pray for him.