UK Student Critically Injured in Accident is Grateful for Trauma Care

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 28, 2012) -- Becky Copeland has vivid memories of the day in June 2011 when her 20-year-old daughter, Mary Kaitlin Davis, was involved in a near-fatal car accident while driving on a country road from their home in Franklin County to her job in Lexington.

Copeland and her husband stood on their front porch and listened to the screaming sirens not too far off in the distance. They too were on their way to Lexington and drove upon the accident scene but didn't see Mary's car smashed head-on into a tree hidden behind all the fire engines and emergency vehicles. They did not know that it was Mary the paramedics were rushing to the waiting helicopter to be air-lifted to the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital.

When Mary was transported to UK, her injuries were life-threatening; a fractured hip, pelvis, three fractured vertebrae, open fractures in her leg, vascular and tissue damage, traumatic brain injury and on top of it all, Mary suffered a stroke. For the next month, her mother kept vigil by her daughter's bedside as she lay in a coma.

The emotional toll of her daughter's injuries have weighed heavily on Copeland and she says it is only now, a year after the accident, that she is able to talk about the care Mary and her family received at UK, particularly from the trauma nurses that were with her daughter around-the-clock.

Copeland's story is a story of the care, love and support the Trauma Intensive Care Unit nurses showered on her daughter Mary. Though there were many nurses Copeland praises, she specifically recalls Gina Andrelio and Charley Brown. "The doctors may have been giving the commands, but Gina was steering the ship," Copeland said. "She not only cared for Mary during the day, she cared for me and my family as well. She kept us informed of all changes and answered our endless questions."

Copeland says Andrelio educated them on Mary's injuries and trained them on basic caregiving so they could feel like they were participating in Mary's care. "When it came time to make a decision about long-term care, Gina had a heart-to-heart talk with me, cried with me, laughed and helped me to see that it was time to move Mary to a rehab facility for traumatic brain injury. Gina is the epitome of the total package - compassionate, competent, supportive and firm with an over-protective mom when she had to be."

Trauma nurse Charley Brown also provided such outstanding care to Mary at night, she felt she could go home in the evening to sleep, Copeland said. "One of the special things I remember about Charley is the way she talked to Mary while she cared for her. She talked to her like she was a long-time friend."

Charley bathed Mary every night and washed Mary's very long hair which was no easy feat. "The fun thing about Charley was that she would crank up Mary's iPod while the bathing and hair washing took place - and the lotioning and the nail polishing and the hair braiding - Mary would have loved that," Copeland said.

Andrelio and Brown are two nurses with very different personalities and approaches to patient care but ultimately produce the same result - leadership, competence, compassion for both the patient and family. Brown said being at a patient's bedside is one of her favorite places, caring for the patient and providing comfort for the family.

"I love nursing at UK because it gives me a chance to provide nursing care in one of the most advanced hospitals in the state. Our unit provides family-centered care in an atmosphere that radiates teamwork," Brown said. "Trauma nursing is challenging, sometimes heartbreaking and at the end of the day, the most rewarding job I can imagine having."

Trauma nurses are unique in that they tend to live on the edge and never know from day-to-day what's coming through their door or how unstable a patient might be, said Lisa Fryman, nursing director of Trauma and Surgical Nursing Services. "They must think quickly and their decision making skills have to be at their keenest at all times," she said. "The level of training and education they maintain assures they are able to manage those patients."

When Mary left UK in July 2011, she went to a rehabilitation facility in Georgia where she awoke from her coma weeks later and began her on-going recovery. She has no recollection of the accident and her memories before that day come and go, though she does remember her family. Her mother says she has made a remarkable comeback from traumatic injuries that could have ended very differently had it not been for the top-level care she received from UK's Trauma Center and a lot of support and rehabilitative care.

Today, Mary still struggles at times to communicate and process information. She has a limp and some residual nerve damage in her feet and legs. She also has some vision problems and cannot drive or manage her own finances. Her mother transports her to at least three doctor's appointments every week.

However, Mary is determined to rebuild her life. She re-enrolled in classes in the spring 2012 semester at UK. The UK Disability Resource Center provided support to ensure her success by transferring her required reading and exams to her laptop using Kruzweil "text to speech" software so she can listen as the text is read to her while the spoken words are highlighted on the screen. Later this summer, Davis will gain even more independence when she moves from her family home in Franklin County to an apartment in Lexington.

"I am pleased and very grateful for the care Mary received at UK. They did a phenomenal job of piecing her back together," Copeland said. "I really don't think she would have received this kind of care or done as well as she has anywhere else in the world."

Media Contact: Ann Blackford at (859) 323-6442 or ann.blackford@uky.edu