DO - Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Emily’s story
I remember that morning very clearly.
While chastising myself for sleeping in and leaving
only 30 minutes to get ready for work, my cell phone
rang. It was 7 a.m. A few days earlier, Larry told me
that he was leaving for a month-long mission and
would not be able to call me until the end of March.
I answered. A male voice identified himself as the
rear detachment officer for 5-73 CAV and he had news
about Larry. I thought the call might be about some
paperwork that Larry and I needed to fill out. It
never occurred to me that he might have been hurt.
Capt. Larry Robinson with an Iraqi child during a
combined medical engagement mission.
At NNMC I received first-rate medical care, for which I’m
grateful. I wasn’t the most pleasant patient to care for—I
would often awake from horrible nightmares where I thought
the nurses were all trying to kill me. I was discharged from
NNMC on March 13 to begin my three-month rehabilitation
at Firelands Regional Medical Center.
I did my internship and residency in family practice at Firelands.
My father-in-law, Dr. James Preston, is the director of medical
education there and was my first boss during my training.
He’s become a great friend and an inspiration to me.
The medical education I received at Firelands was great. It
gave me everything I needed to be confident of my skills
while in Iraq. My focus on hospital and in-patient training at
Firelands—central lines, intubation, chest tubes, etc.—made
procedures and trauma much easier for me in the field.
Almost all soldiers in Iraq suffer from chronic thoracic and
lumbar back pain. It’s one of the consequences of wearing 50
pounds of body armor, spending hours sitting and sleeping in
cramped humvees and sleeping outdoors on the ground while
on missions. Because of my excellent OMM training, I was
able to use manipulation to relieve their back pain.
I still have some lingering problems, but I’m rapidly
improving and expected to make a full recovery. After a few
more months of rehabilitation, I’ll receive an extensive
cognitive evaluation in the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic at
Walter Reed Army Hospital to see if I’m ready to return to
active Army duty as a physician.
My squadron has been hit really hard since my injury—I was
the first—18 have been killed and over 40 have been injured
during their long mission in the Diyala River Valley.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever be asked to deploy to Iraq again.
But this brush with death has made me realize that every
day is a gift from God, and it’s important to make the
most of every moment.
TODAY’S
DO
When he told me that Larry had a skull fracture, my
mind went blank. He continued talking, but I couldn’t
comprehend what this guy was saying. I gave the
phone to my dad, hoping he could understand what
was happening.
The look on my father’s face told me the news wasn’t
good—Larry had sustained a skull fracture and they’d
call us when they had more information.
I couldn’t stop crying. After praying and more crying,
I called Larry’s brother, Mark, who is an OU-COM
medical student at Firelands. He and his wife, Valerie,
joined me and my parents for a prayerful wait at the
kitchen table.
We waited for what seemed like an intolerably long
time, then, at 2 p.m., Larry called! His speech was
slurred, but he assured me that his injuries weren’t
“life-threatening,” he was going to be okay and that
he loved me.
I arrived in Bethesda, Md., at the National Naval Medical
Center just a few hours after Larry checked into the
ICU. When I saw him, he had 67 staples holding his
scalp together, two black eyes from the broken bones
in his face and the head trauma, and one blood-red
eyeball. But I couldn’t take my eyes off him—it was so
good to see him.
He’s had an amazing recovery. The doctors at Walter
Reed Army Hospital are impressed with the care he’s
receiving at Firelands and pleased with how well he’s
healing. They expect a full recovery.
We’re so blessed that we can resume our life together.
What a gift.
-Emily Robinson