Pay It Forward - Tomorrow Needs You

The Need

Bobbi Prochnow had just landed in Mexico, starting a “girlfriend trip” to celebrate turning 50, when she got the call. Her fourth and youngest son Brady, 16, had tried to commit suicide. As Bobbi flew home to Fargo, she and her husband had the understanding that their son was being kept alive to allow Bobbi to say goodbye.

But then, Bobbi says, it was “one miracle after another” – until the day Brady opened his eyes, and doctors began talking about physical therapy and moving forward. “The whole time I’m sitting there and I’m watching him, I’m just trying to understand what the future was going to look like, because I had no idea,” Bobbi recalls. “All the boys were home … and there with him, and none of us could picture what it would be like without our bubs.”

Bell Bank colleagues Stephanie Strand, Heidi Schumacher and Melissa Rossman all had connections to the Prochnows, either directly through family or via mutual friends. After Brady had been in the hospital for several weeks, the three formed a Pay It Forward “pool” at Bell and invited co-workers to contribute.

Stephanie says, “With the medical bills, the travel expenses, I just thought, ‘This is why [Pay It Forward] is here – to help them get this burden off their shoulders when they need to concentrate on their family.’”

Added to the personal need, Brady’s story brought home society’s mental health crisis.

“That was evident when I put out the pool,” says Heidi. “I got emails from employees stating, ‘Thank you for doing this. I struggle with mental health. My brother struggles, my sister struggles, my family.’ I was hearing stories from everyone, and it was truly overwhelming.”

As the news about Brady spread in West Fargo and surrounding communities, Bobbi shared journal entries and the family spoke out about their experience, hoping to encourage other families to hold conversations about mental health.

The Impact

Before the Prochnows left for a rehabilitation center in Nebraska, co-workers Melissa, Heidi and Stephanie contacted Bobbi and Mike to ask if they could stop by the hospital, saying they had something for the family. When Bobbi opened the envelope they handed her, she was shocked to see a check totaling more than $70,000 – one of the largest giving pools in the history of the Pay It Forward program.

“I am doing the math in my head,” relates Bobbi. “How many people did this? And I just thought, Why do these people care so much about somebody they don’t even know? It was such a blessing, a complete godsend to us. I’m not working. My kids are home. … And that gift was enough, more than enough, to help us keep the lights on and do things that we needed to do in order to be with Brady every minute of the day, which is the only place I wanted to be.”

Brady’s recovery would require months at the rehabilitation center – followed by ongoing speech, physical and occupational therapy back home. Now a high school junior, Brady is able to attend classes for several hours a day as he works to strengthen himself and get back to some of the sports and outdoor activities he loves.

“My right side isn’t as strong as my left side yet,” he says. “But I can throw a baseball. I can throw a football. I can do all the sporty stuff.” Brady’s recovery would require months at a rehabilitation center in Nebraska – followed by ongoing speech, physical and occupational therapy back home. Now a high school junior, Brady is able to attend classes for several hours a day as he works to strengthen himself and get back to some of the sports and outdoor activities he loves.

While Brady says the attention he’s received has felt “weird,” his story has touched many people. Perfect strangers have told Bobbi they talk about mental health with their kids at dinner, or they have personally related to a topic she wrote about. Alongside the significant challenges of his recovery, Brady’s experiences have also positively impacted other families.

“This happens every day, everywhere,” Bobbi says. “I don’t know what it was about [Brady’s story], that it took off the way it did, but I’m so grateful.”

Through the Pay It Forward program, Bell gives employees money each year to donate to people in need and causes they care about.