Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA - 56

56
"Being in the hospital, seeing others who were
having a more challenging time recovering,
changed my outlook. This experience made me
want to help other people." -Alex Fear

TURNING POINT

After weeks of nonstop efforts
to find a balance between the
demands of his brain and the
limitations of his lungs, Alex

Mark Shaffrey,
MD, UVA Health
neurosurgeon

Dea Mahanes,
RN, DNP, UVA
Health doctor
of nursing
practice

miraculously turned a corner. His
breathing improved, and his brain
pressure stabilized. His body was
rebounding, but his brain function
was still uncertain.
Alex couldn't speak when he
awoke from the coma. He used a
whiteboard and a marker to communicate, making scribbles at first.
But soon, the scribbles became
words. Not long after that, Alex was
sitting up and walking. From then
on, his recovery progressed quickly.
Today, 21-year-old Alex is back
to school and his part-time job.
And he's working toward a new
future. "Being in the hospital,
seeing others who were having a
more challenging time recovering,
changed my outlook," Alex says.
"This experience made me want
to help other people. I hope to
become a physical therapist."
For the care team at UVA, this
experience gave them hope. "When
you consider that one thing could
go wrong-a period of one hour in
1,000 hours of care could change
the course of Alex's life-it's truly
a testament to this team's abilities,"
Dr. Shaffrey says. "It goes to show
you, if given the right circumstances
and right amount of support, that
recovery is possible." *

A Level I trauma center
caring for nearly 65,000
people each year,
the UVA Emergency
Department provides
a critical link to
healthcare for the
local community and
the region. The new
University Hospital
expansion, which
opened its doors in
October, tripled the ED
footprint, from 15,000
to 45,000 square feet.
This new space was
thoughtfully planned
and designed to
include improvements
that allow caregivers
to provide patients like
Alex Fear (featured at
left) the most efficient
and advanced care
possible. Some of the
highlights of this ED
expansion include:
CONVENIENT
IMAGING SERVICES to
ensure rapid treatment
of patients with stroke,
heart attack and other
emergency conditions
KID-FRIENDLY SPACE
where children have
a separate lobby, and
there are emergency
specialists to oversee
an expanded area just
for younger patients
SECOND ROOFTOP
HELIPAD for medevac
helicopters, to ease
emergency patient
transport
View a slideshow of the
UVA Health Emergency
Department expansion
at uvahealth.com/
new-ed.

PHOTOS BY JACKSON SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY (TOP) AND UVA HEALTH

"Alex's brain and lungs were really
fighting against each other. It took
a lot of creativity, people putting
their heads together, to provide the
best treatment."
Adds Dr. Shaffrey, "We walked a
tightrope for weeks between those
two systems. It literally took minuteto-minute care in order to navigate
our way through."
Right alongside the doctors,
nurses, respiratory therapists and
others with Alex day in and day
out were Chris and Brian. They
saw their muscular, hardworking
son grow frail-dropping from 172
pounds to 116-and struggle to
breathe. "When his lungs started to
go, things took a turn for the worst,
and I knew it could go either way,"
Chris says. "As a parent, you aren't
really sure what's going on. The UVA
team was great about including us
in daily rounds, explaining to Brian
and me what was happening. This
knowledge gave us confidence, and
prayer gave us hope-that's what
really sustained us during that time."

Emergency
Department
Expands
Its Capacity
to Serve

SUMMER 2020 VIM & VIGOR

FdVVSU2088_54-56_NeuroInjury.indd 56

3/24/20 4:21 PM


https://blog.uvahealth.com/2019/09/27/uva-emergency-room-expansion-opening-october-15-slideshow/ https://blog.uvahealth.com/2019/09/27/uva-emergency-room-expansion-opening-october-15-slideshow/

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA

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Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA - Cover1
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA - Cover2
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA - 1
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA - 2
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Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA - Cover3
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA - Cover4
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