Christina Felber said her family members have had some anxious moments since learning her brother, Marine Cpl. Brian Felber, was severely injured while on patrol Monday morning in Sangin, Afghanistan.

“I’ve talked with his nurse (in Germany), and he is improving slowly,” Felber said. “Thankfully, he is alive.”

Brian Felber, a 2007 graduate of Florence High School, was part of a unit conducting operations in Afghanistan when he stepped on an Improvised Exploding Device (IED). He lost both his legs, according to his sister.

“He has a long road to go,” Felber said.

She said her brother, an infantry rifleman with First Battalion Sixth Marines, had been in Afghanistan since August.

“This is his second tour in Afghanistan,” Felber said. “We’re all very proud of him, but right now we’re just a little anxious, hoping and praying.”

She said after the incident, her brother was flown to Germany, and if everything goes as expected, he will be flown to Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland today.

“If everything works out, we will be going to Maryland as soon as we know he’s being flown there,” Felber said.

She said her family moved to Florence in 2003.

Monica Parker, who went to school with Brian Felber at Florence High, said she learned about the explosion on Facebook and immediately started trying to get the word out and asking for prayers.

Felber said she has been amazed at how many people are praying for her brother and his family.

“It’s really touching, the outpouring of thoughts and prayers,” she said. “And we appreciate everyone.”

Felber, who graduated from Florence High in 2005, said her father was in the military, but her brother’s decision to join the Marines caught everyone by surprise.

“To be honest, it was sort of out of the blue,” she said. “He woke up one morning, not long after he graduated high school and said he was going to join the Marines, and a few weeks later he was on his way to boot camp.”

She said her brother is known for his smile and for making people laugh.

“He’s just so kind-hearted and he’s always smiling,” she said. “He’s fun to be around and he loved to make people laugh. I’m looking forward to getting to Maryland to see him and getting my turn to make him laugh.”

Tom Smith can be reached at 256-740-5757 or tom.smith@TimesDaily.com.