Hometown Heroes: Orchard Women Honored For Saving Lives

Neither Lisa Schacht nor Candace Moser wear capes, but both women recently earned the title of hero. 

After all, one pulled a woman from a burning car in February. The other donated a kidney to her stepmother in March.

Schacht and Moser, both of Orchard, were recognized Wednesday evening as "Hometown Heroes" after saving two lives just a couple of months ago. Joshua Gray presented the awards to the women outside of Dusty's at a community gathering.

Lisa Schacht Saves Woman From Burning Car
It was a snowy Feb. 4 afternoon. Schacht was headed to work at TJ's Market and noticed smoke from behind a house. She had no idea it was a car on fire or that Lavonna Ruterbories was still in side. 

"I thought, 'Well, someone is burning an awful lot for in town,' so I come around the corner and was going past the alley and saw that it was her car that was on fire."

Ruterbories had gotten into her car to drive to get her mail when the car started on fire in an alleyway a half block north of Highway 20. 

Schacht said she couldn’t tell if Ruterbories was in the car or not. She drove around the highway by the house and saw the door was open. Ruterbories was still inside, unable to get out. 

With all of the snow, Schacht said Ruterbories couldn't get the door open far enough to get out "because it was brushing against the snow."

Schacht pulled Ruterbories out of the burning vehicle. Wearing just her "little slippers," Ruterbories actually walked right out of them on the snow as the two women rushed from danger.

Schacht never thought twice about rushing to burning car and saving Ruterbories from the flames. It was later that the shock sank in for the Orchard woman. 

"I just knew I had to get her out of there. It was after the fact that I got her in the house and the EMTs were there that, I just kind of broke down after that. Adrenaline rush I guess you an call it," she said. 

Although Schacht understands that pulling someone from a burning car is a big deal, she's still humbled by the recognition. 

"Anybody probably would have done it. I just happened to be there at the right time," she said. 

Candace Moser Donates Kidney To Her Stepmother
Since donating a kidney to her stepmother in March, the Moser family has become local celebrities thanks to viral online stories, newspaper articles and television interviews. But it's for good reason since it's not every day someone donates an organ.

Becky Moser suffers from Polycystic Kidney Disease, the fourth-leading cause of kidney failure in the U.S. According to the PKD Foundation, it is not treatable or curable. Several of Becky's step-daughters agreed to be tested, but Candace didn't qualify because of her weight.

That turned out to be just the motivation Candace needed. Te 38-year-old “kicked into gear” and after 6 months of zumba, walking and healthy choices, Candace shed enough weight - more than 60 pounds - to be tested.

Even as blood was drawn at the AMH Clinic, Candace was unsure if she was a match. She soon learned she was so close to matching her stepmother that they could practically be genetically related. They shared the same blood type and cross match and three of eight other factors. 

“God had a lot to do with this. He helped me, so I was able to help her,” she said. “Without Him, I could not have done this. I had tried before to lose weight, but it took His help this time.”

But being a genetic match wasn’t enough. There was psychological testing and other factors to consider, especially whether she had the proper support system to get her through the 6-8 weeks of recovery. 

​On February 8, Candace was approved as a donor. It was a difficult time for Gene Moser. After all, his wife of nearly 26 years was on one operating table and his daughter laid on another. 

“I don’t know how he did it. It was awful for him,” Becky said. “And I was scared, too. Not that I didn’t want her to be my donor, just that I was scared for her. She has kids to raise. I was scared for the risks to her. For me, this surgery wasn’t a big deal.”

Candace admitted slight hesitation as the surgery neared. But nothing that could have changed her mind. 

“There was no question about it. I was doing this,” Candace said. “As it got closer, I had to do some things that were tough, like get a will. But this is something I had to do.”

Both women said community support made the recovery easier. Kristi Schutt started a meal train for the family, so for the first 15 days - Monday-Friday - meals are delivered to their home. 

The community of Orchard has rallied around the women. They’ve been flocked with balloons, flowers, cards, phone calls, messages and texts. They mentioned the meal train while at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The nurses all said that would never happen anywhere other than a small town.

“We couldn’t have done this without all of the community support - our family and friends,” Becky said. 

​Candace agreed, “This community is amazing. We cannot thank everyone enough for all that they’ve done for us. They truly have been amazing.”