I am 64 years old 和 have been riding a motorcycle for over 40 years. In June, I was involved in an accident when I misjudged a sharp corner just outside of Woodstock NH. I ended up running off the road, badly injured.
I knew I was hurt, 和 was having trouble breathing, but I had no idea just how bad my injuries were. 救护人员赶到时, 和 I was transported to a hospital in Plymouth, where they quickly realized that I needed to be airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). Despite the horror of going through such a traumatic accident, being flown to DHMC made this the luckiest day of my life.
The injuries, care 和 treatment
我有九根肋骨严重骨折, 肩胛骨骨折, 肺功能衰竭, 脾脏出血, a torsion break of the lower leg, 和 torn ligaments in my thumb. The teams at DHMC acted immediately 和 professionally, 进行5次手术, all with incredible skill 和 great results.
For the first eight days I don't recall very much as I was intubated 和 kept in a medically induced coma. I spent a total of 14 days in the trauma ICU 和 26 days total at DHMC, where I received a level of care that is truly beyond description. The competence 和 compassion shown by every doctor, nurse 和 employee that helped me was truly over the top, a level of care that I never imagined was possible.
在26天的停留期间, my wife Carole was by my side 10 hours a day, 和 although she is clinically deaf, every caregiver took the time to make sure she understood every procedure 和 answered her endless questions kindly 和 clearly, no matter how busy they were.
随着我康复的进展, it was painful 和 difficult, 和 it would have been easy to feel sorry for myself. Due to the huge efforts 和 positive attitude of all the staff, I felt that I couldn't let them down, 和 this was the impetus that pushed me to be as positive as possible 和 work extra hard towards my recovery, as my way to thank them for going the extra mile for me.
感谢清单
在我逗留期间, I had interactions with dozens 和 dozens of caregivers 和 support staff, 和 it’s impossible for me to thank them all by name. For those names not listed, please don't feel any less appreciated. I owe everyone my everlasting gratitude.
After coming out of my coma, ICU nurse Jacob Benson, RN was just awesome. He acted as the consummate professional in everything he did.
乔凡尼奇·“尼克”·布鲁诺, the respiratory care practitioner who removed my breathing tube was incredible. It was quite an intense event 和 something that I will never forget as he almost passed his strength on to me 和 willed me to breathe on my own.
凯尔·霍尔斯特德，宾州警署 和 大卫芬利，医学博士 are members of the thoracic team that performed miracles with my broken bones. Dr. Holsted shares my passion for classic cars 和 he took every opportunity to discuss cars with me, knowing that this was powerful medicine for me. He not only fixed my bones but helped keep my mind in a good place.
Medical student Jacob Slibel took special interest in my care, always offering kind words of encouragement 和 lifting my spirits with optimism 和 kindness.
麻醉师 乔纳森•杂草 MD helped me manage my pain, 和 was always smiling 和 happy, 和 passionate about his work.
Renelli Rodriguez护士, RN, 玛丽Noyola, RN和特里萨·哈里斯, RN, 以及其他无数的人, made sure I was comfortable 和 well cared for, no matter how busy they were. The meal staff 和 housekeepers were flawless at their jobs, taking pride 和 care with everything they did.
A level of care that is truly beyond description
A level of care that is truly beyond description
By now I knew that to everyone at Dartmouth, these were not just jobs or careers, 而是他们人生的使命. They performed their duties with a passion like superheroes, not employees. This all indicates to me that your caregivers 和 staff are nothing but the best.
After I was admitted, numerous American friends told me about the fantastic reputation DHMC has. So, even though June 14 was the unluckiest day of my life, at the same time it was the luckiest day of my life because I was fortunate enough to be sent to this facility.
Thank you to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center 和 each 和 every staff member.
最贴心的问候,
蒂姆Kalil
里高德，魁北克，加拿大
This article first was published in the September 2024 Issue of 连接杂志.