When Harold Niehaus regained consciousness at Kettering Health Main Campus, he had no idea what had happened. 

The last thing he remembered was standing on a ladder at the outdoor amphitheater of the Preble County Historical Society. After waking up, Suzanne, Harold’s wife, told him he had been in the hospital for almost two weeks.

“I really don’t remember a lot of my two-week stay,” Harold says. “Probably for the first 12 days.” 

Slowly, with the help of his wife and other members of the historical society, Harold pieced together what happened to him. 

A gust of wind 

Harold serves as president of the Preble County Historical Society and prides himself on fostering community through annual events and educating the county about its history. 

“We do everything from night hikes to tours out in the woods,” Harold says. “We have an annual Blue Star Banquet and an old-fashioned Independence Day celebration.” 

On June 23, 2025, Harold was putting up a sunshade in preparation for the conservation camp later that week with three other members of the historical society. 

“I was up on the ladder,” he says. “I had someone holding the ladder, but there was a breeze strong enough that it actually pulled the sunshade up and pulled me off the ladder.” 

Harold was lifted about 15 feet into the air and dropped onto the stone seats of the amphitheater. Those with him called 911 as Harold floated in and out of consciousness. 

During that time, Suzanne was in a county library council meeting. She got a call from Lisa [the director of the historical society] and assumed it was about the historical society’s upcoming Fourth of July plans, and let it go to voicemail. Then she saw a text from her daughter: “Call Lisa. Dad fell off a ladder.” 

She immediately called Lisa, who asked what hospital they should send Harold to. Suzanne told them, “Kettering Health.”

“This is where faith comes in,” Suzanne says. “You have to have faith in the ability of the people who are taking care of him. Everyone was where they needed to be. And there are certain things beyond your control.” 

More than a number 

During his two-week stay at Kettering Health Main Campus, Harold underwent extensive tests to uncover his injuries, then extensive procedures to repair them. 

Harold experienced a fractured sternum, fractured back, and a fractured skull, resulting in brain bleeds. He also partially lost hearing in his left ear and suffered full hearing loss in his right ear. 

It was a stressful time for the family. Suzanne, Harold’s parents, and his daughter, who had just gotten married the week before, all visited him during those two weeks. They would go home at night to get the rest they needed for the next day. It was hard to leave, but they knew Harold was in good hands with his care team. 

“The doctors we had had the best interest of Harold in mind,” Suzanne says. “They realized he was more than data on the collection of the CT scans, the MRI, the blood draws, the ultrasounds. He was more than the data. He was a whole patient.” 

Harold was released from the hospital after 14 days. He went home with his wife and daughter. 

A miracle 

Over the next month, Harold learned more about what had happened the day of his accident from his community and members of the historical society who were there with him. 

Harold has nearly made a full physical recovery; the only signs of his injuries are the hearing aids he now wears from the lingering hearing loss. But the emotional pain from knowing he put his family and community through stress is harder to recover from.  

“My personality is to help others and do things for others,” Harold says. “And all of a sudden, here I was interrupting other people’s lives.” 

But the accident gave Harold a new perspective on life, a new drive to help those around him. 

“My wife said that the staff at Kettering Health mentioned on occasion that I must have other things to do in life because they considered it a miracle.”