PAUSE YOUR MORNING ROUTINE. THIS IS A STORY THAT DESERVES YOUR ATTENTION. IT REALLY DOES THE
CLICHE PHRASE YOU’VE HEARD US
SAY, LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. WE’LL
PROBABLY GET USED WAY TOO OFTEN,
BUT IN THIS CASE, IT IS
CERTAINLY APPROPRIATE TO TAKE A
LOOK AT THIS PHOTO. THIS IS A ST
CLAIR COUNTY WOMAN’S CAR JUST
AFTER SHE WAS HIT HEAD ON BY A
DRUNK DRIVER AND HER SON WALKED
AWAY WITH JUST A FEW SCRATCHES.
LAUREN RUIZ HAD CATASTROPHIC
INJURIES, THOUGH. BUT AS SHE
SAYS HERSELF, SOMEONE HAD
DIFFERENT PLANS FOR HER, AND
THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE. IT’S
BECAUSE OF THE CAREER THAT SHE
WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN. HI WAYNE.
ALMOST DONE ALMOST DONE. GOOD.
98.2 THAT’S ALMOST PERFECT. ASK
ANY NURSE AND THEY’LL TELL YOU
NO. TWO DAYS ARE A LIFE SO HE
DID GO DOWN THIS MORNING FOR TWO
VIEW. CHEST X RIGHT, ESPECIALLY
WEEKS AND WEEKS OF NO MEMORY
WHEN YOU BECOME THE PATIENT.
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY FEBRUARY
21ST 2021 LAUREN RUIZ WAS
DRIVING HOME WITH HER SON IN THE
FRONT SEAT AND M 25 NEAR LAKE
BOARDS. WE WERE IN AN L PASSING
ZONE. IN THE DRIVER OF THE OTHER
CAR WAS HEADING AT US AND PASSED
A TRUCK AND HIT US HEAD ON. THE
DRIVER OF THE OTHER CAR WAS
DRUNK. HE AND HIS PASSENGER DIED
INSTANTLY. SOMEHOW LAWRENCE SON
, ROWAN WALKED AWAY, BUT SHE
SUFFERED A TRAUMATIC BRAIN
INJURY WITH A BRAIN BLEED A
SEVERED ARTERY IN HER LEG,
BROKEN BONES STICKING OUT OF HER
LEG AND MUCH MORE LEG WAS WHAT
WE CALL LIMB THREATENING, YOU
KNOW, SO IT’S AN ORTHOPEDIC
EMERGENCY. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT
SHE HAD OTHER NON ORTHOPEDIC
INJURIES, SO IT TRULY WAS A LIFE
THREATENING SITUATION.
PARAMEDICS RUSHED HER TO MCLEAR
IMPORT HURON, THEN QUICKLY
REALIZED SHE NEEDED MORE
EXTENSIVE CARE. AND BROUGHT HER
TO MCLAREN MCCOMB. BY THEN SHE
WAS INTUBATED AND SEDATED. I
SEVERED MY POP LITTLE ARTERY,
WHICH IS THE ARTERY THAT RUNS
RIGHT BEHIND YOUR KNEE. SO I WAS
LOSING PULSES. I DIDN’T HAVE ANY
PULSES IN MY FEET. DOCTORS WERE
NOT SURE THEY COULD SAVE HER LEG
, BUT FORTUNATELY HER BRAIN
INJURIES HAD STABILIZED. AND
THEY WERE ABLE TO TRY EXTREMELY
LUCKY. THE ACCIDENT WAS HORRIFIC
. DOCTOR JAMIE DILIBERTO IS
LAWRENCE VASCULAR SURGEON, THE
RECOGNIZED LAWRENCE ARTERY WAS
SEVERED AND HER LOWER LEG HAD NO
PULSE. SO HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT
NEEDED TO BE DONE.█ WE HAD TO
TAKE A VEIN FROM THE LEG FROM
THE SAME LEG AND USE THAT TO
BYPASS THE ARTERIES. JUST LIKE
HEART. SURGEONS TAKE VEINS FROM
THE LAKE TO BYPASS THE HEART. WE
DID THE SAME THING TO BYPASS
THIS LEG. THEN DR CHRIS VITALI,
THE ORTHOPEDIC TRAUMA SURGEON,
JUMPED IN REPAIRING EVERY BROKEN
BONE, ESSENTIALLY REBUILDING HER
LEG FROM KNEE TO ANKLE. LAWRENCE
SURVIVED HOURS IN THE OPERATING
ROOM. I MEAN, SHE’S A TRUE
SURVIVOR. I MEAN, SHE IS ONE OF
THE STRONGEST PATIENTS I KNOW.
AND SO THE SECOND THAT I TALKED
TO HER IN THE ICU. WHEN SHE WOKE
UP, I KNEW THAT SHE WAS GOING TO
HAVE A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME.
THERE’S MY JUST HOW SUCCESSFUL
NOBODY KNEW, THOUGH, WHEN THE
ACCIDENT HAPPENED. LAUREN WAS IN
NURSING SCHOOL AT 40 YEARS OLD.
SHE WANTED A CAREER CHANGE
SOMETHING MORE FULFILLING AND
THE SCHOOL LET HER FINISH A
LITTLE OFF SCHEDULE. NOW SHE IS
AN ICU NURSE AT MCLAREN PORTS
HERE ON THE FIRST HOSPITAL. SHE
WAS IN AFTER THE ACCIDENT. IT
SUCKS. TO BE A PATIENT. YOU
KNOW, IT’S NOT. IT’S NOT GREAT.
UM SO WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT
ARE NOTHING BUT UPLIFTING AND
UNDERSTANDING, IT’S SO HELPFUL,
SO I JUST TRY TO GIVE BACK AS
MUCH. AS MUCH AS THAT AS I CAN.
SO THIS WAS THE, UM THE INITIAL
SURGERY AND EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS
THE SCARS TO PROVE HER PAST, SHE
IS WRITING HER OWN FUTURE HERE.
THEY WON’T CALL IT IRONY,
THOUGH. TO THEM. IT’S FATE. I
MEAN, I THINK THAT SHE WAS PUT
IN A SITUATION THAT SOMEONE KNEW
THAT SHE COULD HANDLE AND I
THINK THAT SHE IS GOING TO TURN
THIS INTO A VERY POSITIVE
EXPERIENCE. FOR OTHERS. NURSING
IS THE KIND OF CAREER THAT I CAN
ALWAYS HELP PEOPLE. UM I CAN
ALWAYS TRY TO HELP THEM FEEL
BETTER. MAKE THEIR LIVES A
LITTLE BETTER. THANK YOU. WAYNE
HURON. NICK MONACELLI JUST LOVE