Greencastle teen soccer player lost leg in hunting accident, community raises money for recovery efforts

GREENCASTLE —  Kylee Long wants to play soccer again in her senior year.

The 16-year-old defender just needs a leg.

Kylee’s right leg was amputated above her knee after a hunting accident on Nov. 27.

“There’s no pity party when you’re in her room,” said her father, Adam Long. “It’s been pretty incredible. She has a super awesome outlook. I don’t understand it. She’s casual with it, like it’s a splinter."

Kylee, a straight-A student at James Buchanan High School, is ready to stride on down the road to recovery.

Word is that Kylee can come home Thursday. Adam was eagerly awaiting her official discharge from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“All we’re asking for Christmas is to be home for Christmas,” Adam said. “We’re not worried about the gifts and things, we just want to be out of the hospital by then.”

Kylee can return to her dog Dexter, her cat Ellie and her pet pig named Gus, who’s big enough to be living outside now. She picked up her late grandfather’s love for pigs and his collection of pig novelties, according to Adam. While Bud Long hosted hog roasts, Kylee wants to be a veterinarian.

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Kylee’s been in the hospital three weeks. Surgeons tried to save her leg, but after hours of surgery and 11 units of blood, they chose to amputate her lower leg a few inches above the knee. 

Adams said she can be moody and has had her down moments, but “for the most part, she’s the strongest person I know.”

It’s a deep hurt.

“She’s been a die-hard soccer fan since she was a little girl,” Adam said. “There are many times she skipped going on vacation to play soccer.”

For the rest of the family, according to Adam, the tragedy is tougher to swallow, but it's getting easier as they see how Kylee tackles obstacles.

Kylee is middle child of Adam and Jaime Long. She has an older sister, Keelyn, and younger brother, Myles.

The family is in the process of choosing a place where Kylee can do both her physical rehab and pain management. Candidates include the Hershey Medical Center and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

The Longs also are shopping for Kylee’s prosthesis. Costs range from $5,000 to $50,000.

“She’s a very athletic girl, so we want to get her a good one,” Adam said.

The community has responded with a Go Fund Me campaign, suppers and other fundraisers. The Go Fund Me page has raised nearly $22,000 in 20 days.

“It’s a very expensive road ahead,” Long said: Therapy, modifications to their home and replacement of her prosthesis down the road.

The family has medical coverage, but it won’t cover everything. Adam figures they will be more than $10,000 out of pocket before insurance kicks in.

Girl accidentally shot in leg

Kylee was hunting on Nov. 27 with her father and grandfather at the family cabin in Huntingdon County near Raystown Lake, Adam said. It was windy so they left the woods early. They were unloading the guns when one went off and shot Kylee in the leg.

Pennsylvania State Police, Huntingdon, said that as a family member tried to clear his .270-caliber rifle shortly before 10 a.m., a round was discharged and hit the girl’s right calf, the Huntingdon Daily News reported.

“Dad and I did what could in field to get the leg to stop bleeding,” Adam said. “We picked her up and put her in the car. Dad was familiar with the area and so he drove. We got to the medical center just as they were opening the door. They called 911.”

Staff at the center replaced the tourniquet that the Longs had applied in the field, Adam said. High winds prevented the use of a medical helicopter.

An ambulance from the Robertsdale, Wood & Broad Top Volunteer Fire Co. took the girl from Broad Top Area Medical Center to the UPMC Altoona Trauma Center for treatment, the Daily News reported.

She was later flown to the hospital in Philadelphia. At the hospital, people have responded to Kylee’s can-do attitude, Adam said. One veteran nurse told the family that Kylee’s response re-established why she wanted to become a nurse.

“I don’t think there’s a single person Kylee’s talked to that hasn’t been moved as to how she is,” Adam said.

Fundraisers, ongoing and upcoming

The community has answered with support.

“We’ve been very blessed with people wanting to help,” Adam said.

Kylee is an amazing girl!  The team has been supportive of her efforts to recover from her accident and will continue to support her future efforts

"Kylee is an amazing girl," said her soccer coach Terry Appleby. "The team has been supportive of her efforts to recover from her accident and will continue to support her future efforts."

Local businesses have set out collection canisters. Her girlfriends made and sold bracelets. Adam’s brother has sponsored a “Kylee Strong” T-shirt -- featuring, of course, a pig.

Scheduled benefit suppers include:

• Pasta with a Purpose spaghetti dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 14 at the Family Table Restaurant, 6097 Lincoln Way West, St. Thomas.
• A taco dinner and salad bar from 4 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 25 at the Mercersburg Mennonite Church, 10060 Buchanan Trail West, Mercersburg.

About Kylee Long

Academics: An "A' student at James Buchanan High School

Activities: soccer, basketball, hunting & fishing. 

Birthday: Jan. 7

Short term aspiration: Play soccer

Long term: Be a veterinarian

Jim Hook 717-262-4759