HEALING HEARTS: Jakob Stebel connects to late brother through football

NORWALK — The scene was perfect. The football had taken a truly unique — if not perfect — bounce into unsuspecting hands. And although Jakob Stebel was dragging a player on his back for 10 yards, he felt as if a burden he had been carrying went into the end zone with him. "I told myself that I hoped it made him happy," Stebel said. "After every game, I always try and think that I made Cody happy or proud that I was his little brother." Jakob and Cody Stebel were typical brothers: they argued and horsed around, bonded over video games and playing in the mud. When Cody died on May 3, 2017, from injuries sustained in a car crash six days earlier, the Stebel family was grief-stricken. His death was particularly hard on Jakob, who had turned 14 only 11 days before the crash. "He took it very hard and was definitely going down a dark path soon after we lost Cody," said Valerie Stebel, the boys' mother. "He lashed out. But had he not, we would have been worried even more. "Jakob turned himself around, and football is definitely an outlet for him," she added. "We are very proud of him for what he's done." Indeed, football has become a beacon for Jakob, a senior defensive lineman. Last season, he was an all-league performer for Norwalk, leading the team in sacks and fumble recoveries as the Truckers won a share of the SBC Lake Division and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs. And those who know him aren't surprised that Jakob's two biggest moments on the gridiron have come with a part of Cody nearby. Literally. "He was with me because Gene was there," Jakob said of Gene Shimandle, a 64-year-old Aurora man who received Cody's heart in a life-saving transplant. "Knowing he was there gave me more energy and allowed me to just go out and play freely." Brotherly love Jakob and Cody Stebel were six years apart in age. When Jakob was born in April 2003, Valerie was worried the age difference wouldn't lead to a close relationship. "But Jakob looked up to him very much," she said. "Cody got to do a lot more things because he was a bit older, but he was also my tech kid; my gamer." And that's where the bond really took hold. Cody and Jakob loved to play video games and grew closer because of that connection. "We kind of differed on games, but 'Call of Duty' was a main one for us because it was a two-player game," Jakob said. "But Cody typically liked single-player games by himself, because I was of course the little brother always asking him to play." As the older brother, Cody enjoyed watching Jakob play sports. When Jakob was 10, their father, Dave, and Cody both helped coach Jakob's flag football team. When Jakob's 14th birthday neared on April 17, 2017, his older brother gave him two key gifts; a pair of cleats for his first year of high-school football that following fall, and an Xbox gaming controller. "That was the last thing I got from him, so it was pretty big to me and I keep all that stuff around and near me," Jakob said. Earlier that spring, Cody had begun working alongside Dave at JH Routh Packing on Bogart Road near Castalia. Father and son had been commuting to work together, with Dave driving. On April 28, 2017, a Friday morning, Dave was using a vacation day to celebrate 17 years of marriage to Valerie over the weekend. Their anniversary is May 5 and they were celebrating on the weekend. Somewhat unfamiliar with the area, Cody drove to work alone that morning. While southbound on Ransom Road in his Dodge Journey, Cody allegedly ran a stop sign, striking a Freightliner truck, according to an Ohio State Highway Patrol report. Although wearing his seatbelt, Cody suffered serious injuries and died five days later, just 20 years old. "We all took it very hard, but Jakob losing his brother like that was extremely difficult," Valerie said. "It was just a really hard time." But the devastating loss brought something positive. Cody was a registered organ donor. His planned generosity saved five lives through seven transplants, including his heart, liver, kidneys, a lung and skin grafts. Then, a series of chance events related to Cody being an organ donor led his family somewhere unexpected. A destined meeting The tears didn't stop flowing for much of the day on Nov. 23, 2017. Six months earlier, on May 8, Shimandle, then 62, received Cody's heart after an 11-year wait on a transplant list. Diagnosed with heart failure in 2005, Shimandle spent years with a pacemaker and heart pump while battling strokes and vision loss. His condition was an ironic twist for Shimandle, who, as a trained paramedic, had taught about 65,000 people to perform CPR over three decades of work. For nearly 20 years, he taught Advanced Cardiac Life Support at the medical school at Case Western Reserve University and led an active life. After getting Cody's heart, Gene began working on getting healthy enough to compete in Aurora's "Turkey Trot" 5K on Thanksgiving Day in Aurora, about 30 miles southeast of Cleveland. As the Thanksgiving event drew near, FOX-8 News did a short story on Shimandle's recent transplant and his preparation to run 3.1 miles. Valerie Stebel was doing some early afternoon shopping in Norwalk when she bumped into a friend who mentioned the segment with Shimandle airing on TV that night. Tuning in from home, she knew immediately she'd found Cody's heart recipient. The Stebels had gotten a donor letter in mid-October from Lifebanc, the agency that handles organ transplants. No contact between the donor family and recipients is allowed for one year, to help with the grieving process. "I had asked for a pen and paper right there out of surgery," Shimandle said. "I badly wanted to write a letter of gratitude to the family. I spent the next two weeks starting and stopping the letter, wadding up paper after paper and throwing it away, not being able to accomplish expressing how I felt … because I knew what those guys were going through." Despite the mandate, watching Shimandle's story and matching the first name and city — all that was allowed in the letter — the secret was no longer. In the news segment, Shimandle said, "His heart beats in my chest and I would love for his family to listen to their son's (heart). I'm here because he's in here." Both sides got that wish. The Stebels contacted FOX, which in turn communicated with Shimandle. Just hours after the segment aired, the family was planning to make the trip to Aurora on Thanksgiving morning to watch Shimandle in the 5K. Fifteen family members made the trip, including grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. They arrived five minutes before the race began. "I first met David just before the race was to start," Shimandle said. "I shook his hand and he introduced me to my second family. What a moment." Before Shimandle started running, the nurses who were to stay alongside him during the race allowed the Stebel family to press a stethoscope to Gene's chest and hear the beating heart that was once Cody's. "The tears just wouldn't stop," Shimandle said. "A moment of gratitude, pride, happiness … all of it. When I saw them react, I knew that they now knew Cody didn't die for nothing. It was truly amazing." Valerie said hearing the heartbeat makes the Stebels feel like a part of Cody is still alive. "His heart is still here," she said. "He's not here in the physical sense, but he's still with us." While admitting hearing the heartbeat for the first time was hard on everyone in the family, it was apparent it was a bit more difficult for one family member in particular. "Watching Jakob … it broke my heart," Valerie said. "Because I know his reaction was, 'this isn't real. How is this my brother's heart in someone else's body?' And he was very quiet the rest of the day." Shimandle has a picture of Jakob listening to the heartbeat both prior to the race and at a brunch afterwards. In the background of the photos, family members are transfixed on Jakob. "They were looking to see how he was handling it," Shimandle said. "And you can see there is a slight smile, but you could also see it was really a challenge for him." Jakob admitted it was rough at first to hear Cody's heartbeat inside a different person. "But it's grown to where Gene is like family now," he said. "He's always there and we invite each other to various family events. He's part of the family now." While that Thanksgiving Day was special for both the Stebel and Shimandle families, Gene did one better for the Stebels the following year. Beginning on March 29, 2018, nearly one year after the heart transplant and on Cody's birthdate, Shimandle began walking 357 miles from Cleveland to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about organ donation. He also wanted to honor those who have served as donors or have been recipients. He walked about 13 miles each day while carrying a "donate life" flag. Through rain, snow and heat, Shimandle pushed forward — all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. The path took him past several notable places, including his birth home and his elementary school — the first location where he did CPR training. After returning home, Shimandle gave his Donate Life America flag, signed by various people he met along the way, to the Stebel family. "When I handed that flag to Valerie when I got back, it was the most genuine hug I've ever received," Shimandle said. "It was just amazing." Gene gave them the flag at Christmas when the families got together for the holiday. "It meant so much to us because he is still keeping Cody alive," Valerie said. "And that's all we want, for him to be remembered and alive in our minds." The following year, in October 2019, Shimandle was a special guest at the 11th annual United for UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) soirée in Richmond, Va. He arrived early and toured the National Donor Memorial Wall, which features names of donors on a granite wall. He looked for Cody's name among the 10,000-plus, so he could take a photo and share it with the Stebel family. Oddly enough, he was able to find it instantly. But as he pulled out his camera and looked up, he noticed just to the right of Cody was the name Eugene. "I dropped to my knees and started sobbing," Shimandle said. "How in the world could this possibly be? The wall was built in 2005 … Cody was just seven and I was diagnosed with heart failure in the same year. Yet there was Cody and Eugene. "And there are only three entities that call me Eugene," he added. "The Cleveland Clinic, Kent State University — and my mother when she was mad at me." Football's purpose In practice or games, Jakob's burden is clearly visible. "Jakob carries and wears the emotion of that traumatic experience," Norwalk football coach Todd Fox said. "It's on display when he's playing … I think every day you see him try to use that for his motivation to perform and do well." Jakob fully admits the physical sport provides him a release — but also another purpose. "It lets me take out a lot of the anger I grew from (Cody's death)," he said. "But it also gives me the ability to be with a close-knit group of teammates and having more than just one brother who has my back. "It's not like he's gone and I have them, but football has really brought me close to people, and understanding not to take anything for granted." Entering his junior season in 2019, Fox said the coaching staff didn't know what they had in Jakob. And the next thing they all knew, he had led a 9-3 team in sacks, with 10, and in fumble recoveries, with two, while earning second-team All-SBC Lake Division honors. "He was a kid that moved positions and just kind of silently played well and got better each game," Fox said. "He's become a dominant figure up front we can count on. He has good speed and power, and is capable of great things." Valerie believes football is an outlet for Jakob in ways that are hard to explain. "I think he knows Cody is very proud of him is part of it," she said. "He was at all his games. Football means a lot to us. Jakob is very athletic and gifted, and just seeing him out there and doing well has really helped all of us." The sport also connected Jakob, Cody and Gene in unique fashion. In Week 5 last season, the Truckers hosted Ontario for Homecoming on Sept. 27. Shimandle came to watch Jakob start as a defensive tackle. His presence gave the game added importance. "Before every game I try to talk to Cody," Jakob said. "When we pray before the game as a team. I always play in memory of him, but with Gene being there I really wanted to play well." That hope took just seven seconds to play out. Norwalk was ahead 21-0 just 10 minutes into the game. On the Warriors' first snap after falling behind three scores, Anthony Weisenberger knocked the ball free from the quarterback. The ball took a funny bounce sideways and right into Jakob's hands — almost as if by design. Ontario's QB grabbed onto Jakob around the 15-yard line, but all he got was a ride. Jakob dragged the quarterback on his back for the final 10 yards, with a second Ontario player latching on inside the 5-yard line. None of that mattered. Jakob plowed ahead, returning the fumble 18 yards for a touchdown as Shimandle — with Cody's heart inside him beating at a fast rate — watching, alongside Dave and Valerie. "The coolest thing to see," Shimandle said. "A defensive lineman scores a touchdown? How can that be, other than Cody was there for him." But it didn't end there. Shimandle returned to Norwalk last week for Homecoming to watch Jakob play again. The Truckers had just taken a 9-7 lead early in the fourth quarter in a key league game vs. Clyde. Looking for a stop on third down, Jakob did one better. He tore through the Clyde interior line, hit the running back's elbow and once again, the ball popped right into his hands for a huge turnover. The fumble recovery gave Norwalk the ball at the Clyde 22. Three plays later, the Truckers scored the game-clinching touchdown in a 30-14 win. As a defensive lineman, Jakob got his hands on the football and made two huge impact plays with Shimandle in attendance. "I enjoyed the feeling because not only was he there to watch, but Cody was there watching me, too," Jakob said. "Knowing Gene was there, it gave me the motivation to do that again. Not knowing if a big play would occur, but I had a feeling at some point I was going to make a play to help our team win the game." Shimandle said he felt like big brother Cody was there and watching the game through his eyes. But more important for him was seeing the spotlight on Jakob. "It was just so special to see Jakob have his moment," he said. "That feeling as a high-school kid is something that never leaves you. The 'Friday night lights' experience and having your teammates rally around you like that — he'll remember that forever. It was a shining example that Jakob has really overcome a tremendous burden."