Corinne Fitterer decided to take her first vacation in 30 year before starting to look for a new job.

Then everything got worse.

The Tuttle woman arrived in Las Vegas on Dec. 12. A day later, she learned one of her seven sons, John, was injured in a farm accident. He had lost all of his fingers on both hands while working on a corn picker.

Despite protests from John to continue her vacation, she returned as quickly as she could.

"It's more important to be with my kids," she said Tuesday.

Now she is spending most of her time at St. Alexius with John, who continues to undergo medical procedures.

Instead of job hunting, she plans to continue staying near her son at the hospital until he is released.

"It will probably be another month," she said.

Fitterer is one of the employees about to be laid off when Flath's Grill & Grocery in Robinson closes at the end of the month. She worked there to supplement the family farm income.

Eldean Flath, who owns the grocery and grill with her husband David, said a potluck benefit for John Fitterer is planned Jan. 2 at the Tuttle VFW Hall that will include a free-will offering. She also opened a savings account in John Fitterer's name at Northland Financial in Steele.

"He's got a long road ahead of him," Flath said, "and maybe somebody needs a tax write-off, somebody better off than him."

At St. Alexius, John Fitterer, 20, has undergone five procedures so far, and more surgeries are on tap. Doctors are hoping they can attach some kind of digits to his hands.

"I don't know if it's toes or what," Corinne Fitterer said.

The family John Fitterer was working for does have liability insurance, Corinne Fitterer said.

"There is the possibility of covering medical expenses," she said, but she's uncertain if it's a set amount or what.

She does know that her son is keeping his spirits up.

"He says he will be back on a tractor in three months," she said. "If that's what he wants to do, he will do it."

Meanwhile, Corinne, her husband Anthony and the Fitterer children will spend Christmas with John at St. Alexius.

Six of John Fitterer's siblings are spread out between Tuttle and Bismarck, and his oldest brother, Brett, arrived Tuesday night from Fort Hood, Texas, where his unit will ship out for Iraq sometime after he returns next week.

Brett Fitterer also had an unscheduled plane change en route to home because of mechanical difficulties.

"I'm glad they found something was wrong with the plane so there wasn't another accident," Corinne Fitterer said.

(Reach reporter Richard Hinton at 250-8256 or outdoors@bismarcktribune.net.)