[SIREN]

NARRATOR: November 7, 2015.

EMT Joe Schmader responds to a 911 call

to a home in rural Pennsylvania.

He arrives to find 12-year-old Seth Apel lying on the ground,

bleeding from where his right arm used to be.

He said, I want to die.

I'm a baseball player, I'm a pitcher.

And I said, you don't wanna die, buddy.

You're going to be OK.

NARRATOR: Seth had been dumping firewood

using a trailer that runs off the tractor's power take-off,

or PTO.

It was still running when Seth tried

using a stick to fix a gear chain on a trailer that

had come loose.

It was the last thing he remembers.

It was a freak accident.

There was a bolt sticking out of the PTO shaft that got caught.

Ripped the shirt and jacket off of him.

Ripped his arm off.

NARRATOR: Seth's grandfather came out

when he heard the screams, and called 911.

Less than a mile away, Seth said Josh was still

cutting firewood, unaware of what had happened.

And that's when I just started walking down the hill.

And that's when I saw my father-in-law

coming up the hill.

He said, it's Seth.

Something happened.

NARRATOR: At the time says the mother Angie was at a friend's

house, 30 minutes away.

I knew something was wrong, and all

she said was, it's Seth.

It's Seth.

But I couldn't get out of her what had happened,

or what was wrong.

During the whole drive, I was praying, God, tell me he's

alive.

God, tell me he's alive.

And that voice that I heard, God saying,

everything's going to be OK.

That's all I could get.

I'm like, no, I don't want that.

Because I know that, you know?

And everything was going to be OK,

but I want to know that he's going to be alive.

NARRATOR: By now, the ambulance had

taken Seth and his severed arm to a designated landing zone

to await a helicopter.

Josh arrived moments later.

The thing that really hits me is that he's just young, I just

want to see Jesus.

That's all he's screaming, is I just want to go see Jesus.

NARRATOR: As Angie got off the interstate,

she saw the helicopter, a sign that God

had answered her prayer.

And I just started praying, thank God.

Because I knew that there was a helicopter.

He wasn't dead.

NARRATOR: Soon after she arrived,

the chopper left for Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

with Seth and his dad on board.

Now they were in a race against the clock

to save the boy's arm.

Plastic surgeon Lorelei Grunwaldt

had been called in to assist in the surgery.

I think what first went through my head

was that the nerves were torn.

When the nerves are stretched or torn,

technically, the patient isn't a great candidate

for a replantation.

NARRATOR: As the staff rushed Seth into the OR,

Josh did what he could.

I go through my phone.

I start texting everyone that, you know,

Seth was in an accident.

Pray for him.

And within hours, you know, hundreds of people

are saying that they're praying.

NARRATOR: In the operating room, the consensus

of the surgical team was that the damage to Seth's arm

was too extensive to be reattached.

Dr. Grunwaldt was the exception.

In my heart and my mind, I felt

there was greater than a 50% chance of it being successful.

So we sort of debated a little bit.

And I said, you know, I really thought it was worth a shot.

NARRATOR: It wasn't until Angie arrived two hours later

that a surgeon came out to tell them what they were attempting.

Our jaws kind of hit the floor.

You did what?

You re-attached, and you know.

So we had something more specific, then, to pray for.

NARRATOR: By now, word was getting out on social media,

and thousands of people were praying.

In surgery, doctors worked to repair

the thousands of severed blood vessels, nerves, and arteries.

After six hours, they had successfully

reattached Seth's arm.

The first 48 hours were critical,

and all the family could do is wait and pray.

It was just God.

It's funny.

Until you're in that situation, you

don't think you'd have the strength.

But He gives it to you.

NARRATOR: Seth woke up 24 hours later with a Bible scripture,

Philippians 4:13, on his mind.

And they asked me how I was feeling, and all that.

And I said, I can do all things through Christ,

who strengthens me.

I didn't realize his faith was so strong.

So I was just very, very proud of him.

And I know that he has a determined spirit.

NARRATOR: The 48 hour mark passed,

and it was clear the surgery had been a success.

Three weeks later, Seth was released and started

physical therapy.

He worked hard because there was something he wanted to do.

It didn't matter to Seth that he couldn't use his right hand.

He just found a way around it.

Six months after surgery, he stepped up

to the plate for his team.

ANNOUNCER: How about it?

Number 48.

Seth Apel.

And I just swung, and I just started running.

And I really pushed me, but I got there.

And I realize, I'm on base.

All right.

I'm like, let's win this.

And we ended up winning that game.

Honestly, I think I believed from the beginning.

You know, I just had this sense that this could work.

NARRATOR: Seth continues to improve,

and he's still working on his game.

Seriously, that's only God can do that.

You know, that's just amazing.

Trust in Him, and follow Him, and he'll get you through it.

It doesn't matter what the consequence is,

or what's going on.

If you keep your eyes focused on Him,

you can do everything through Christ.