Lucas Wakefield, a junior at Devils Lake High School, was part of history this past year.
He recently returned to his hometown from U.S. Senate Page School in Washington, D.C.
Lucas served as a page in the U.S. Senate and worked on the Senate floor where he was kept quite busy. He got his appointment through Sen. Kent Conrad.
It was believed to be the longest session in many years because of the ongoing health care debate.
“It was quite an experience,” Lucas says. “It was very interesting – very cool. Sometimes you'd work until 1 a.m.”
Lucas also attended a joint session of Congress, something that hasn't been held in years.
One of his several field trips was attending the Army-Navy football game.
It was pretty heady stuff for a teenager who was involved in a horrendous car accident five years ago near St. Cloud, Minn.
The accident claimed the life of his dad (Tom), younger brother Mikal (7) and younger sister Nikki (3).
His mother, Loydene, was severely injured in the accident. She broke nearly every major bone in her body and spent months in the hospital.
Lucas' main injury was a severed arm.
The family was on its way to a vacation in Mexico.
“It was certainly a life-changing experience,” says Lucas. “And it has been a struggle in a lot of ways, but it's not as hard as you might think with just one arm.”
Lucas can do just about anything other teenagers can do. He's a member of the golf team, he's in speech and choir and can play the piano.
The only thing he can't do is tie his own shoes.
He's well on his way to bouncing back from a life-changing experience.
“I'm just thankful I'm alive and my mom is alive,” Lucas adds. “I guess I've never wondered 'why me?' or 'why us?'
Lucas was the only one in his vehicle that wasn't wearing a seat belt.
The vehicle was moving 70 mph when it collided head on with an oncoming car.
When it occurred, Lucas says he doesn't remember much. A passerby came to his aid.
“It was just kind of surreal,” the 17-year-old says. “But a lot of people have helped us, a lot of people have supported us.”
Lucas says he has no idea on where he might go to college.
