"Sweet" success: former trauma patient graduates from nursing school
Throughout my 43-day hospital stay, I had multiple surgeries, which left me with scars all over my body; the worst was over 12 inches from my breast bone to pubic bone, following abdominal surgery to remove my spleen and repair my damaged liver. I was in a coma for the first eight days following the accident. During that time I had undergone the placement of a tracheostomy tube, bilateral chest tubes, multiple abdominal drains, and external fixators to my badly broken legs. My femur fractures were later repaired with titanium rods inserted within each bone. I also ended up having the toes on my right foot amputated due to complications
During the time I was in an induced coma, I had hazy dreams involving friends and family. I knew something was definitely not right, but nothing gave any insight into what had actually happened. When I woke up, I remember my dad was the first person I saw.
It was 11 days following the accident when I finally questioned what had happened. I had a trach, so being unable to talk I wrote, "What happened to me?" on a dry erase board. That was when I first found out that my best friend had lost her life in the accident and I had been the driver. My dad explained to me I was attempting to pass a slow moving semi which began to turn left without using his directional light. I slammed on the brakes and attempted to steer around the right side of the semi. Unfortunately, we hit the back end of the semi at about 50 miles per hour.
After seeing the role nurses played in my recovery while I was at Theda Clark, I was inspired to pursue a career in health care. I attended Bellin College of Nursing and graduated in May 2009 with my bachelors of science in nursing. I have now worked as a registered nurse for almost a year on a transitional care unit at a medical and rehab center in Green Bay.
I feel that due to my experiences as a patient, I am better able to relate to and empathize with the patients I now care for. My hope is to eventually work in an emergency department, trauma center or intensive care unit in a hospital. I know firsthand what it feels like to be a trauma patient and aspire to help others the way in which the doctors, nurses, and clergy at Theda Clark helped me.
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