SPASH teen’s life saved in roof collapse

PLOVER, Wis. (WSAW) - During last weekend’s storms, Melissa Quisler had dropped her son Joey off at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, Illinois near Rockford for a concert.

What should have been a fun night of rock ‘n roll, turned into a symphony of destruction. 30 minutes into the 7 p.m. show, the roof had collapsed.

“I was worried my son was dead,” said Quisler. “I could see that the tornado was heading towards him and I tried to send him a message to say, you know, it’s coming towards you.”

The SPASH senior was one of about 40 people injured. One person was killed, but Joey survived thanks to good samaritans.

“He keeps saying Gary pulled him out from underneath the roof that landed on him,” said Quisler. Joey was in and out of consciousness, while another concert-goer stayed by his side outside the theater until he received medical attention and was taken to a hospital.

“I basically went through two hours of not knowing where he was, and that he was dead,” said Quisler. Hours later, she was reunited with Joey at a Rockford hospital, thankfully still alive.

“He’s not paralyzed, he’s just injured, he can’t walk right now and has been limited to only one hand that he can work with right now,” added Quisler.

The injuries and his hospital stay mean he won’t be able to walk across the stage for his graduation at SPASH. Joey loves to skateboard and play guitar, but that’s not possible right now either.

“My main concern is my son right now and getting him better. Getting him home and getting him back and coming back to his life again,” said Quisler.

In time Joey will heal, but for now, it’s about a mother’s hope for her son’s return to normalcy.