HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Clinic announced on Monday the death of Dr. Dustin Harker. Below is the post from the Clinic...
Below is information provided to Hutch Post by Sharon Neu Young, sister of Harker's wife Emilie, on behalf of the family.
A family of thirteen from Hutchinson, Kansas is grieving the loss of a husband and father.
Dustin Harker was on a whitewater rafting trip with friends from church and four of his thirteen children. They set off on their adventure on the river on Friday, June 9th.
It was a river they had rafted before, but this year with the high rainfall the rapids were more turbulent than in the past. During their ride down the river, the raft with Dustin and three of his children tragically capsized.
Everyone struggled to get above water. In the tumult, Dustin threw the capsized raft off his youngest daughter who was trapped underneath. They all thankfully made it to shore. Unfortunately, by then Dustin had already taken on too much water. He was still speaking but shortly after became unresponsive. The other leaders present administered CPR for 30 minutes to try to resuscitate him, without success.
The family is so grateful that all of the children have made it home and for Dustin who made sure that happened. This turn of events has been traumatic for everyone involved – especially for those who witnessed the tragedy unfold.
Dustin was a neurologist and a devoted father, loved playing games, having outdoor adventures and having fun with his kids. And to state the obvious, given that he and his wife, Emilie, have thirteen children, both of them have been very invested in and devoted to their family. The children range in age from 23 to 4 years old. Emilie has been a stay-at-home mother, homeschooling their children and taking care of their needs.
There is a GoFundMe set up to help support Dustin’s family: https://gofund.me/e6b23028.
There is also a “Support for Dustin Harker’s Family” Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/1417849209030395/?ref=share&mibextid=DcJ9fc.
Emilie’s sister, Sharon, who lives in West Bend, WI, is managing those efforts. You can also connect with her on social media (Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook).
You can also help by sharing her posts about support for the family from her social media accounts. You can find Sharon on Tik Tok (@sharonneuyoung), Instagram (@sharonneu), And Facebook (Sharon Neu Young).
The family is so grateful for all of the support they’re receiving – comments, love, prayers, words of comfort. If you have questions, you can reach out to Sharon.
She’s trying to manage communications as much as possible, so that Emilie and her children can focus as much as possible on recovering from their trauma and grieving the loss of their father and husband. Dustin Harker, you are loved and we feel you with us still.
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