BURNED
B
UT
NOT
BROKEN,
FOR WHAT WAS I SPARED?
The story of one man’s search
for purpose in living a new, second life. By
Michael J. Nolte
Every day,
Nolte asks God not “Why did you let this happen
to me?" But rather, “Why was I spared?"
Someone
dies in an automobile wreck every 12 minutes in
the United States. Someone is injured every 12
seconds. For Missouri highway patrolman Micheal
L. Newton and civilian Michael J. Nolte, both
happened in 1.8 seconds. That is how quickly the
flames fully engulfed them after Newton’s Ford
Crown Victoria patrol car was struck from behind
while it sat on the shoulder of Interstate 70 in
mid-Missouri.
The
coroner listed Trooper Newton’s cause of death
as “live cremation." And though Nolte was pulled
from the inferno ablaze, the Kansas City
businessman was critically burned and was,
himself, only 15 seconds away from the same
horrific death. The privilege of his survival
would include incredible pain for months and
months. Healing—physical and psychological—will
take years.
“I lived,"
Nolte recounts in this powerful memoir, “but so
many times I wished I hadn’t."
An
eight-foot, white cross rises from the narrow
strip of fescue at Mile Marker 47 where Newton
burned to death and Nolte was scarred for life.
It is one of thousands that dot America’s
highways. Though the cause of that cross’s
construction is unfortunately too common,
Nolte’s story of survival, recovery, and
forgiveness is incredibly unique. Burned But Not
Broken is heartbreakingly poignant and yet
stunningly graphic with grisly details that will
place the reader right in the scene.
Nolte
tells of his flat lined, near death experience
during his Life Flight to the hospital, the
excruciating process of debridement for a burn
victim and the avalanche of survivor’s guilt
that led to his mental breakdown. After living
through the civil trial, he was finally allowed
to meet the men who saved his life, visit the
mother, widow, and son of the trooper and
interface with the man who caused the wreck.
Life for
the man whom many considered the “go-to-guy"
became one of complete dependency in a blinding,
searing explosion. His story is one of courage,
inspiration, and hope for both the individual
that suffers catastrophic injury and the family
that loves them. Nolte blends his rehabilitation
with his faith journey in a way that brings the
spiritual and the secular components of all our
lives into beautiful balance. After more than 25
years of enjoying a life he created for himself
(or so he thought), this is the remarkable story
of one man’s search for purpose in living his
second life.
______________________________________________________
Burned but not Broken:
Author Bio and Reviews
Michael J. Nolte
is a successful businessman owning the two most
prominent bridal salons in Kansas City. His
company is ranked among “The Top 10 Couture
Salons" in the country. As a wedding coordinator
he has created and directed over 1,000 weddings.
Since the wreck, he is an advocate for highway
safety and helped get national legislation
called “Pass With Care" passed. As a popular
professional speaker, he has inspired thousands
as he urges audiences to use the “tools that God
placed in our toolbox." He is the recipient of
“The Hope and Spirit Award" presented in
celebration of the University of Missouri
Hospital’s 50th Anniversary. He has been the
subject of numerous media features and
interviews, including an Emmy nominated CBS
special telecast. Nolte and his wife of 27
years, Barbie, live in Leawood, Kansas, where
they are the parents of a rainbow of daughters,
Emma-Lea (a blonde), Justine (a red head), and
Caroline (a brunette.)
“When Mike was in
that horrible car tragedy, I never doubted that
he would pull through. I never doubted
that he would recover. I never doubted
that Mike would be Mike again some day.
That’s just who he is, an indomitable spirit.
Mike is a man of substance...When Mike was
burned, he was not at all diminished, because
the fire could not burn the mettle of his soul.
He was left shining, dazzling, and stronger than
ever before. Yes, Michael J. Nolte was
tried by fire but, hallelujah, he has come out
as pure gold." – Debbye Turner, Miss America
1990; CBS Staff Correspondent
“Mike
Nolte—talented, professional, and personality
plus, escapes flaming death by the heroic
efforts of two strangers, but must deal with
painful impairment and gripping change in his
life. His internal turmoil of ‘How can I be me
again?’ is finally resolved when he begins to
reach out to serve others." – Boyd E. Terry,
M.D., FACS Burn Surgeon University of Missouri,
Columbia, MO
“I would never
wish for any wife to be awakened by the Highway
Patrol telling you your husband is being air
lifted to the burn unit, get there quickly.
That call changed the course of our marriage.
With a disaster such as ours, there are no
experiences upon which to draw. There’s no
proto-type of “This is what you do when your
husband is in the Burn Unit for more than two
months." Though Mike’s abilities were
temporarily side tracked, his talents to impact
people and help others are back in full swing."
– Barbie Nolte
“On May 22, 2003,
Mike Nolte was pulled over by Missouri State
Highway Patrol trooper Micheal Newton.
What happened next would change Mike’s life
forever. A passing truck struck the
trooper’s car that immediately exploded, killing
the trooper and covering more than 40 percent of
Mike’s body with third degree burns. After
... more than a year of rehabilitation, Mike
decided something needed to be done... and
approached me with the idea of amending the
federal highway bill... with a “Pass With Care"
amendment... Today, “Pass with Care" laws govern
how motorists pass and yield to first responders
on our nation’s roads. Mike has continued his
crusade... of waiting for a safe exit and moving
over when they see a vehicle with flashing
lights parked on the shoulder... [helping]
reduce the risks our first responders face on a
daily basis."
– U.S. Senator Jim Talent
“When I think of Michael Nolte, I think of
miracles, the miracle of his perseverance and
spirit in the face of enormous obstacles,
unimaginable pain, and amazing survival. When
you see him, he smiles. And that smile too is a
miracle."–
Ann Hood, best-selling author of
The Knitting Circle
