Editor's note:  This story contains a discussion of suicide. Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters. Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

In the early morning hours of March 5, 2014, Ash Wednesday, Jerry and Lisa Pfaff couldn't find their son. 

Derek, 19, had made plans to accompany his mom to Mass at their church, Our Lady of Lake Huron in Harbor Beach, and gone to bed. When Lisa woke up in the middle of the night, though, Derek's door was open ... and he wasn't there. Jerry, who was getting ready to leave for an early work shift, went outside.  

"I heard the loudest scream that l have ever, ever heard in my life," Lisa said. "My husband just started yelling and screaming, 'No, Derek, no, no!' And he yelled, 'He shot himself.' It's a feeling that you just can't describe. The emotion, and what to do. ls he alive? ls he dead? Just the heartbreak. I just remember screaming over and over, and over again, and watch­ing Jerry pull him and putting him in a vehicle to get him up to the hospital. l called 911 and just started yelling in the phone." 

 

Watch our Emmy-nominated documentary "Derek: A Journey of Faith, Hope & Love" below.

All-American kid  

A standout football player on Harbor Beach Commu­nity High School's first and only state championship team, Derek was known by coaches and teachers alike for his drive and determination. 

"When he was in middle school, Derek approached me ... and said, 'Hey, Coach, I want to work out,"' said Troy Schelke, Harbor Beach High School teacher and varsity football coach.  

Coach Schelke would learn during those workouts that Derek was born with a clubfoot and had very little mus­cle on his leg. lt was something Derek worked through pain to overcome, and something he kept hidden from opponents during his high school football career.  

"(He) just inspired the heck out of me," Coach Schelke said. "He wasn't just an average player. He was a fantastic player, thousand-yard rusher on a state championship team."  

Derek's work ethic was an inspiration to teachers in the classroom, too. High school math and science teach­er Joe Terwillegar said, as a student, Derek preferred to use a formula rather than memorize the unit circle. "He went through and did every one and multiplied it by pi over 180. He got them all right. l still tell that story to my pre-calc classes. I'm like, 'I've had one student do it this way and he got them all right. It took 45 minutes, but he did it."'  

Lisa said Derek, who attended Our Lady of Lake Huron Catholic School through eighth grade, was also motivated by a deep faith.  

"I remember when he was in second grade, and he was making his first Communion, and he made a little shrine in his closet," Lisa said. "He had holy water, and he had a cross, and he would go in there and pray."  

Derek's golf coach witnessed that faith in action on a 90-degree day toward the end of an 18-hole event. The kids, he said, weren't keeping properly hydrated and a golfer from a rival school was getting sick. 

"Derek went over and talked to him and said, 'You got this,"' said golf coach Dan Gonzales. "Derek carried his bag and his own bag for the last three holes so that the kid could finish and not be disqualified. I mean when I saw that ... you coach for the things that hap­pen like that."  

Dereks older brother and two younger brothers share stories, too: tales of rough-housing, dirt bike racing and eating pizza together.  

"He was my best friend. He still is my best friend," said older brother Justin.

Signs of stress  

It wasn't until Derek's first year away at college that his parents grew concerned. A nursing student, Derek pressured himself to get perfect grades. He ended his first semester with a 4.0, and classes were getting harder.  

He went skiing with friends over spring break in early March 2014, then came home to spend a few days. 

"I was starting to worry about, 'Gosh, he's really putting a lot of pressure on himself,"' Lisa said.  

Neither she nor Jerry ever could have imagined what Derek would do.  

Then came the moment that would forever change their lives. Jerry found Derek in the snow - a shotgun lying nearby. 

An urgent call for prayer 

Lisa's first call was to 911. Her next call was to her parents, ask­ing for their parish priest, Father Bill Spencer, to get to the hospital as quickly as possible to anoint and bless Derek.  

Father Bill recalled the night. 

"He was knocking at the door, and he kept knocking," Father Bill said. "I opened the door and I saw who it was ... and he told me about his grandson being down at the hospital."  

A few miles away, as the snow continued to fall, Jerry arrived at the Harbor Beach Community Hos­pital emergency room. He was met by surgeon Dr. Kelly O' Sullivan.  

"This is a bit graphic," said Dr. O' Sullivan. "It startled even me, and I'd been a surgeon in the ER for a while. When I looked down, his hair was hanging over his face, and when I looked at his face ... there was no face. There were just shards of skin hanging down." 

Derek was still breathing at the time, so she and a nurse brought him to the trauma bay. 

"At that point, I watched him and he was no longer breathing. When someone stops breathing, you put a mask on their face and ... you force the air in through the bag, through a mask," Dr. O'Sullivan explained. "With Derek, you couldn't do that, because there was nothing on which to create a seal." 

Divine Intervention 

"I was at the head of the bed and I stopped for a moment," said Dr. O' Sullivan. "I just said a little prayer: 'Please just take my hands, please. This is more than I've ever done before. If this young man is supposed to live, take my hands and make this happen.' Because I'd never intubated a patient where I had no landmarks by which to navigate. And I knew in that mo­ment ... I have no doubt ... God took my hands and that went in first pass with no problem." 

The medical team began supplying oxygen. Derek's lungs inflated and his heart started. There was hope.  

"I thought, wow, theres no doubt in my mind this young man's meant to make it ... and we had just gotten some really big intervention," Dr. O'Sullivan said.

Bracing for goodbye 

Due to a snowstorm, Derek was transferred by ambulance to Flint's Hurley Hospital, where he was pronounced brain-dead. A doctor discussed organ donation, which could save up to 17 lives, and the family said their goodbyes. 

"We held Mom's hand and she walked us to the room," Brandon said. Lisa had instructed them to cover their eyes with their winter hats. "She put my hand on one of Derek's hands and (Justin's) on the other. And we both said our goodbyes, and we come from a religious family ... 'Goodbye, Derek, I love you. I'll see you again. This isn't a true goodbye.'" 

"I remember walking in, with my hat on, already crying and I peeked," Justin said. "And then I just, I don't know if the anger came over, I kind of started yelling, like, 'Derek, what'd you do to us?"'

Carrying a cross 

Derek was transferred to Henry Ford Hospital, where Lisa and Jerry thought he would be an organ do­nor. Derek went into surgery as soon as he arrived, and after several hours they heard some incredible and unexpected news: Derek did have a brain injury, but it was minimal. 

Derek would live.

The path forward, however, would not be easy.  

"Once I took a look at him in the intensive care unit and reviewed some of his tests, I had a very brief discussion with his parents," said Dr. Kenneth Moquin, a plastic surgeon at Henry Ford Hospital. "I also planted the seeds at that point in time that we're not entirely sure what path we're going to be taking yet, but we're going to figure it out."  

"I remember Jerry and I just sitting in the waiting room," Lisa said. "We were just completely numb, and we just sat there and held each other, and prayed ... I remember saying to Jesus, 'Jesus, you carried a cross. Please help Derek carry his cross, because he's got such a long road ahead of him."' 

Comfort from a stranger 

Dereks first surgery was the longest: 26 hours. 

"We were just petrified, and it was in the middle of the night. I couldn't sleep. I was literally sitting in a chair, saying my Rosary, and Jerry had fall­en asleep. I was just alone and lost and kept praying," Lisa said. 

A maintenance worker, who had been walking back and forth through the night, approached Lisa and asked what had happened. 

"l was honest. I said, 'My son is in a 26-hour surgery. He shot himself and he lived.' He said, 'l see you have a deep faith ... can I say a prayer with you?' And he sat with me and we said a prayer together. I was so thankful and grateful for just the peace that he brought me. He said, 'Never give up your faith.' He had recently lost his son in a car ac­cident, and he said, 'The strength of God will get you through this.' I was so blessed to have him there, and we really never saw him again. ... He was there that night, and he was just an angel to me. His name was Joe." 

Signs of movement ... and hope 

About a week after surgery, Lisa noticed Derek moving his finger or toe when she talked. 

"The doctors were elated that he actually had movement and could move his foot," Lisa said. "That was like, one of the first real signs that we have a chance. I thanked God at that moment, 'Please keep the miracles coming."' 

Grace, support and family

Derek continued to progress.  

One day, he wrote a message on a clipboard to his mom with a question: "Mom, what happened to me? Was I in an accident?'' 

Lisa answered yes. 

"The first thing he wrote, after everything he had been through, and through not being able to talk, and not being able to see, and not being able to walk, the first thing he wrote was, 'Did I hurt anyone? Did I hurt any of my friends? Was it a car accident?"' Lisa pointed out. "Thats who Derek is ... He didn't even think about himself and why he couldn't talk. It was, 'Did I hurt someone?' And I told him, 'No.' I said, 'Honey, you didn't hurt anyone. You hurt yourself.' Then he wrote, 'What happened?' And I told him." 

His response: "Mom, are you sure? I would never do that to myself. I would never do that." 

"I didn't know what to say, and I just said, 'Derek, I haven't left your side.' I grabbed his hand and we held hands and he squeezed my hand," Lisa recalled. "He wrote down, Thank you, Mom. Thank you for being with me.' And I said, 'I'll never leave you.' I said, We will get through this."' 

The support of family and community through the years has made life as normal as possible. 

Jerry has taken on responsibilities at home when Lisa, who also works a full-time job, is with Derek through every surgery and hospital stay. 

Father George Amos, pastor of Holy Name of Mary Parish (which includes Our Lady of Lake Huron Church) visits Derek to bless and anoint him before each surgery.  

Derek is grateful for his support network.  

"Thank you to everyone who has helped me," he said. "I wouldn't be where I am today without them." 

New beginnings 

Seven years later, Derek- who once wore a jersey with a number seven on it- has great hope for the future. 

He has fought to live through 58 surgeries, once coming very close to death.

The next step in Dereks journey is a face transplant at Cleveland Clinic, where he has already been approved to be their fourth face transplant recipient. He has successfully undergone a series of rigorous psychological screenings and has an incredible network of support. Unfortunately, insurance will not cover the experimental surgery. The family created a GoFundMe page, and they are praying for support as they share Derek's story. 

''As a parent, you only wish the best for your children," Lisa said. "I just want the best for him ... to have a chance to help other peo­ple. To be able to go out in public and not have people stare at him, and point at him and call him names and say, 'Did you see him? What happened to him?' It rips my heart out when he hears those things. He's such a giving, loving person who would do anything for anyone. I just want him to have this second chance." 

Derek hopes his story strengthens others to talk about their struggles before they harm themselves and to avoid the pain he has endured. The words "Derek's Pain '4' Purpose " are etched on bracelets worn by Derek's family and friends. 

"God is very much present in our lives," Father George said. "In different ways, we are alive today for a reason. And every single day is an opportunity that God has given us to show his presence in our life by what we do, how we use our lives. Our lives are only meaningful if we use it for others." 

Dr. Risal Djohan, a plastic sur­geon at Cleveland Clinic and part of the team that successfully performed the first face transplant in the United States in 2008, believes this surgery will give Derek more confidence to publicly share his journey. 

"Right now, perhaps he might be a little bit more shy to go out into the community because of his injury," Dr. Djohan said. "What we have learned from our previous patients is that as they are more comfortable, they gain such confidence ... because that's how we interact with society ... through our face. Not only how we present ourselves in the community, but also how we express ourselves. I was very, very pleasantly surprised about Dereks spirit and also the support from his family ... we are very enthusiastic about the future outcome." 

"This year ... has just been the year that he's really put himself out there," Lisa said. "He's willing to share what he looks like and what he's been through to help others. Three, four years ago, we couldn't have done this. I couldn't have talked about it. I hear a song on the radio and I just start crying. I still do." 

Although there are still many challenges ahead, Lisa believes God is leading the way. 

"I have faith that he's going to be okay," Lisa said. "He should have died multiple times through this, in surgeries, and just things that have went wrong the last seven years. He shouldn't be here, and to hear him laugh with his brothers ... you just don't need a lot of things in life, right? To hear him laugh and talk and be so positive and just wanting to get well ... it just means everything to me." 

"He's happier now than he ever was," Jerry said. "It's unreal." 

With faith in God, faith in each other and in the support from their local community ... this is a story of transformation. 

If you are suffering from anxiety or depression, have suicidal thoughts or know someone who needs help, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. To connect with local resources available across the 11 counties of the Diocese of Saginaw, click here. 

Follow Derek's journey here.

Watch the award-winning documentary "Derek:  A Journey of Faith, Hope and Love" below.