Katie, a vibrant and fun-loving 15-year-old from Littleton, Colorado, was visiting Minnesota with her family in July, 2022 to celebrate her grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. After dinner, the evening took a tragic turn when Katie fell from a golf cart, hitting her head on a curb. Two years later, Katie's family looks back with immense gratitude, celebrating her recovery with a heartfelt reunion with those who played a pivotal role in her care. Immediately after the accident, Katie's sister called 911 and then their parents, who were only minutes away.
Katie was bleeding from her head and lying in the street when the ambulance arrived. After conducting a few quick tests, the paramedics determined she needed to be taken to Hennepin Healthcare without delay. Katie's mother, Jenny, had grown up in Minnesota and had heard of HCMC, but knew little about the facility. "Once we arrived at HCMC, everything moved so quickly," Jenny recalled. "Katie was taken for a CT scan, and the results were terrifying. The medical team needed to monitor the pressure in her brain, and just 70 hours after the accident, they had to remove part of her skull until a few weeks later when the swelling had gone down. It was hard to know what questions to ask and so difficult to navigate. We were grateful for all of the amazing staff, including the chaplain, who helped us navigate a truly terrible situation.
Jenny found some comfort in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where she was impressed by the level of care her daughter received. "Dr. Ashley Bjorklund and the entire PICU team were incredible. Initially, I was uneasy about HCMC being a teaching hospital—I didn't want students working on my daughter. But it turned out to be a blessing. There were so many knowledgeable professionals available to assist and answer our questions. The nurses, doctors, and staff at HCMC were extraordinary." Jenny noted that many individuals went above and beyond to support their family during Katie's time at HCMC. Child life specialists, for example, helped them determine the best ways to communicate with their younger children about Katie's condition and prepare them for hospital visits. The family's social worker, Stacey, was another invaluable resource. "She was absolutely amazing," Jenny said. "Stacey helped us navigate challenges like insurance, transportation, our jobs, and even finding a place to stay while Katie was hospitalized." The therapies were also impressive and eye-opening to us. In addition to occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech, there was art therapy, music therapy and the occasional visits by therapy dogs.
The nurses at HCMC left a lasting impression on Jenny and her husband, particularly given the challenges of working during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The nurses not only provided exceptional care for Katie, but they also supported my husband and me in many ways. They patiently answered our endless questions and helped us process everything that had happened. They even reminded us to take care (eat, drink, sleep etc..)of ourselves during such a difficult time." Dr. Ashley Bjorklund, Medical Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) reflects on Katie's journey. "Katie had a touch-and-go course with long nights of titrating medicine and therapies at her bedside. Her family barely left her bedside as we waited for her brain swelling to improve and we had many difficult conversations about possible outcomes.
Once improvement started, it was still not a slam dunk success either- it was a true display of teamwork, with everyone working alongside her to keep her breathing tube out and our rehab specialists pushing her toward recovery. Watching her walk through the ICU doors, ready to go to college, is a joyful reminder of the why behind the hard days. "People always ask me, how I do this job. 'Isn't it so sad?', or 'that has to be so hard.' Katie is how I do this work."
About five weeks after her accident, Katie was flown via air ambulance to Craig Hospital in Colorado, luckily just 20 minutes from their home. After being an inpatient for about two weeks, she continued to rehab at Craig. Katie began transitioning back to school in October. They are proud to say Katie has started college at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
Katie and her family recently came back to Minnesota to visit family and Katie wanted to go back and visit and thank her caregivers. Jenny reached out to Michelle, a PICU nurse she had become friends with. Michelle said, "Yes, I'm working, so come on over. Alyson and Stacy would love to see you all, too!" "And what a reunion it was!", said Stacy Stickney Ferguson, social worker who worked with the family, "I remember moments after the accident when Katie was missing her hair, walking with Sam our physical therapist, using her phone for the first time …and like wow, look at her, embracing life, such a beautiful, person inside and out. It was such a day brightener for the team to see her and Jenny, Mike, and her younger sister Claire. An inspirational reminder of why we do what we do every day with patients and families who walk through our doors into our PICU at HCMC."
