LAKELAND, Florida — A beloved pastor in Polk County has been fighting for his life after a small cut spiraled out of control, leaving him with a severe infection.
Nate Hille of The Bible Baptist Church in Plant City fell while working his second job in HVAC. It left him with a cut on his arm that became increasingly painful over the following days.
"The whole thing happened very, very quickly," the pastor's wife Cassie Hille explained. "He had a small fall at work which led to a small cut on his elbow. And we didn't know that it was anything serious."
Four days after the fall, doctors at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center discovered Nate had developed a rare and severe "necrotizing soft tissue infection."
"I just remember praying that the Lord would keep us together and that he would still be able to pastor," Cassie said.
Shortly after the diagnosis, Cassie was told the best path forward for her husband was amputation.
"He has just a little bit of his collarbone left," she explained. "But the whole arm is gone from here down and also part of his back."
Now, as the recovery process begins, she said her family of seven is leaning on each other and their faith.
"He said the Lord isn't done with him here and that he hopes that he can be a light in this community and that the Lord clearly has some work for him to do, and he wants to do it," Cassie said.
Even from his hospital bed, the man who has dedicated his life to serving others remains a caretaker.
"Even in this, he woke up from sedation and his first concern was, are you taking care of yourself? Have you been eating? Have you had enough water?"
While a more cynical person may question why they were dealt such a challenge, Cassie believes it's part of a greater plan for her family.
"Even in the tragedy of all of it, there has been so much good and we have been able to share the Lord with people that we would have never met, you know, sitting in those waiting rooms, praying with families that maybe didn't have hope," Cassie said.
At their lowest, the outpouring of love and support is heightening their faith in humanity for the hard days ahead.
"I think what I've seen in all of this is, that there are a lot of really good people," Cassie said. "We've had amazing people come to support us, amazing people we met in hallways. The nurses have all been great. Our surgeons are amazing. The Lord has got this and there are still really good people out there."
Nate Hille was the family's primary provider, as Cassie home-schools their five kids. With the long road to recovery, a friend of the family set up a GoFundMe page to assist them with medical bills and adaptive equipment costs.
To learn more about the fundraiser, click here.