SOUTH PYMATUNING Super sibling gets deserts in a big Bowl

A brother's love for and dedication to his injured sister caught CBS' attention.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARPSVILLE, Pa. -- Stephen Searle knew what he had to do to help his younger sister recover from a serious auto accident.
He was only 11 and Stacy was just 8 in May 1993 when they were both hurt in a crash that left Stacy with a traumatic brain injury. Stephen suffered a concussion and bruises and was hospitalized briefly.
Stephen's mission
Stacy spent three months in rehabilitation after the accident. Stephen took it upon himself to make her do things to aid in her recovery, said their father, the Rev. David Searle of South Pymatuning Community Church.
It wasn't something his parents asked him to do.
"He just wouldn't let her sit idly by," the Rev. Mr. Searle said, recalling how Stephen would make Stacy crawl and then walk and then run as her condition slowly improved.
Stephen has said he wanted Stacy to experience the things that in 1993 people said she would never get to do.
He continues to push for her further recovery, his father added.
'Early Show' appearance
Stephen's years of effort have recently been rewarded by CBS' "The Early Show," which, after learning of Stephen and Stacy's story, arranged for the entire Searle family to take an expense-paid trip to the Super Bowl in Houston this weekend.
They were to leave this afternoon and return Monday night.
It was their mother, Janet, who brought the story to the attention of CBS, sending "The Early Show" a letter detailing her son's sacrificial love for his sister.
The family was invited to appear on the show in November during a "Week of Wishes" segment. It was then that the Super Bowl trip was presented.Stephen is a big sports fan (Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers are his favorite teams.) and always wanted to go to the Super Bowl, his father said.
Janet Searle's letter referred to her son as one of the "many great men in this world" and noted he always dreamed of going to the Super Bowl or a World Series baseball game.
A question of survival
She said Stacy's injuries were so severe that initially the doctor thought she wouldn't survive.
Recovery has been long and difficult. Stacy still has a gait problem and difficulties with her right arm, but her brother has been there to urge her on, Mr. Searle said.
They both graduated from Rhema Christian Academy, a private school.
Stephen, 22, is enrolled at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, where he is a senior elementary education major. He insisted that Stacy enroll last fall at Geneva as well so he could help with her adjustment to college.
Stacy, 19, is a freshman at Geneva, majoring in communications.
Less attention
Janet Searle said that her taking care of Stacy often left Stephen pushed to "the back burner" and that it's difficult to think about the activities in his life she had to miss as he was growing up.
"His love has been a motivating factor in her recovery," she wrote to CBS. "I would love to see him honored in a very special way for the dedication and time he has given in his sister's recovery."
Phil Simms, former NFL quarterback and CBS football analyst, was on hand when the family visited "The Early Show," and he surprised Stephen with the news that he and his family were going to Super Bowl XXXVIII.
gwin@vindy.com