2007 - Memorial Hospital of South Bend

“They warned me that I may have to be preparedto make a decision. That he may not make itthrough the night,” remembers LaDonna.“That was unbelievably scary.”For more than a week, Jeremy’s family was by hisside as he lay in a coma in Memorial’s IntensiveCare Unit. Spending the night at the RonaldMcDonald Family Room, the group never strayedfar. Doctors found that Jeremy had a number ofcontusions on his brain, telling the family thatif his brain had moved any more than it had, heprobably wouldn’t have made it. “He’s a miracle,that’s for sure,” says LaDonna.“All the nurses and doctors were great,” addsLaDonna. “There was one nurse in particularwhose son also went to Mishawaka High. Shereally took to Jeremy, and he responded verywell to her, which I was glad to see. I felt it reallyhelped him get through this.”After his time at Memorial, Jeremy’s recoverycontinued for four more weeks at a rehabilitationfacility. He continued his rehabilitation atMemorial’s Outpatient Brain Injury Program,mastering basic functions like strength andbalance, reaction time and swallowing.“He doesn’t remember anythingabout the accident, but I go overit in my mind all the time,” saysLaDonna. “How did he land? Whatwas he thinking when he was in theair? I kept wondering what it musthave been like for him. I was makingmyself crazy!”LaDonna says she got through theordeal thanks to the prayers offamily and friends. She’s also gratefulto the staff she encountered from dayone, who kept her informed of herson’s condition as it developed andsupported her family through their darkest moments.“I’ll tell you exactly when I began to realize thateverything was going to be o.k.,” says LaDonna. “I washaving trouble with my phone calling back and forthto family. The minute he took the phone out of myhand, fixed it, and gave it back to me was when I justknew everything was going to be all right. I knew Ihad my Jeremy back.”“He’s my baby, and I’m so grateful he’s still here.”“Challenges I faced as a child growing up in the health care system of the 1950s made me keenly aware of the deficits in thatsystem. These experiences, both positive and negative, became the influence that guided my decision to pursue medicine andprovide patient and family focused health care.” — Michael Long, M.D.