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FARGO-Mark Schreiner's six-year battle to recover from a coma-inducing head injury ended Sunday, Aug. 14.
The 43-year-old Moorhead High School graduate was injured in a chance fall at WE Fest on Aug. 7, 2010. He died Sunday, his wife said in an online post.
"Mark left us early this morning," his wife, Shelly Schreiner, said in a post on his CaringBridge site. "He had a very long day of seizures and in the end his body was too tired to fight this fight anymore. He will always be a hero to us as he hung on six years longer than he was supposed to. He made improvements that were said weren't possible and he always greeted you with a smile when you walked into his room."
Schreiner, an eight-year National Guardsman, suffered the severe head injury in an accident at WE Fest near Detroit Lakes, Minn. How he was hurt was not made clear. According to the Becker County Sheriff's Office, Mark Schreiner was running down an asphalt road when he may have tried to hurdle a parked ATV and small trailer. He apparently tripped on the trailer's tongue assembly and struck his head on a parked bus, the sheriff's office said at the time.
The former stockbroker turned full-time farmer had been farming for more than 20 years, but he had only planted crops on his own land north of Argusville twice before the accident. In 2010, the farmers' relief group, Farm Rescue, along with Schreiners' two children, Samantha, 14, and Thomas, 10, helped harvest the crop on 700 acres of soybeans.
In 2010, Shelly told The Forum that her husband initially was in a coma, followed by a vegetative state during which he could open his eyes. He was then considered "mildly conscious," following people with his eyes and watching TV and looking at photos.
In September 2010, he was moved to a St. Paul rehab facility, where he underwent a coma stimulation program. He was eventually transferred to a full-time care facility in Fargo.
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Over the years, the Fargo-Moorhead community has held a number of fundraising events to show their support for the Schreiner family including the "Miles for Mark" race in honor of Mark, who ran track in high school.
Nearly 62,000 visitors have turned to his CaringBridge site over the years, where his wife has chronicled his progress and setbacks over the years.
"He will be terribly missed by many," Shelly wrote on CaringBridge. "It is a extremely sad day in our house today as my kids are yet dealt with another obstacle to jump over. This time however, they have the most AWESOME guardian angel on their side for this next journey!!! We love and miss you Mark."
