As families across the country gather to reflect on what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving, one Minot Air Force Base family says their gratitude runs deeper than ever this year. For the Aggen family, the past few months have been marked by fear, uncertainty, and ultimately overwhelming support from a community that refused to let them face hardship alone.
In early September, Kali and her husband, Elias Aggen, who is assigned to the 91st Missile Security Operations Squadron, experienced every parent’s nightmare when their 4-year-old son suffered a severe neck injury after falling from a swing at a local park. What began as a simple afternoon outing quickly turned into a medical emergency that would change their lives. Their son was first airlifted to Fargo and then transported again to a children’s hospital in Minneapolis for specialized care.
The journey didn’t end there. In October, he required a more extensive surgery, sending the family back to Minneapolis for another round of treatment, anxiety, and hope.
Throughout it all, Kali says one thing became unmistakably clear: they were not alone.
“This community here. This base. Our church. Our friends who have been family, everyone stepped up to carry our family through this,” she shared. “I don’t think we will ever view life the same again.”
From meals, to messages of encouragement and constant prayer, support poured in from every direction. Minot AFB families rallied, their church community embraced them, and friends, near and far wrapped them in comfort. But the kindness didn’t stop at the gates of the base. After their son’s story was shared online, people across the country sent messages, donations, and prayers. Kali says she wants to make sure those distant supporters are not forgotten.
Today, their son is healing, and with him, the family is beginning to heal as well. The road ahead is still long, but progress comes a little more each day, and for that, they are profoundly grateful.
This Thanksgiving, the Aggen family is thankful for more than recovery, they are thankful for a community that held them up when they could not stand on their own. They are thankful for a base that feels like family, a network of friends who became their lifeline, and strangers from across the country who reached out with compassion.
In a season centered around gratitude, their story is a powerful reminder of the strength of community, the resilience of family, and the way love can reach across miles, circumstances, and even fear.
