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Aug 7, 2020 Reporting from Niles, MI
From care team to care family - Timothy McGuire
https://www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/medical-services/rehabilitation/our-rehab-patients-say-it-best/Detail/from-care-team-to-care-family/?utm_source=From_Care_Team_to_Care_Family&utm_medium=PatientStory_Landing&utm_campaign=InternalPages
Aug 7, 2020
Aug 7, 2020
SpectrumHealth Lakeland
As the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States, 27-year-old Timothy McGuire was working on launching an international business with his professor at his alma mater Andrews University. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit Timothy and his fiancee Lucero de
From care team to care family - Timothy McGuire
SpectrumHealth Lakeland
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From care team to care family - Timothy McGuire
Aug, 2020
Physicians: James Burczak, DO; Paul Judge, MD; Michael Seward, DO; Roy Winslow, MD
As the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States, 27-year-old Timothy McGuire was working on launching an international business with his professor at his alma mater Andrews University. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit Timothy and his fiancee Lucero decided to go visit family out of state before travel restrictions intensified. But just five minutes into their drive, they were in a terrible car crash.
Timothy was rushed to the emergency department at Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph. He suffered multiple serious injuries: a broken leg, broken collarbone, broken sternum, skull and facial fractures, traumatic brain injury, lacerations to his right shoulder and right ear, disruption to sight and hearing, spinal fluid leakage from his ear, jaw injury and teeth damage, bruised lung, and major loss of blood.
In the intensive care unit, Timothy was stabilized and received treatment from a team of specialists. A neurosurgeon drained the excess fluid surrounding his spinal cord and brain to protect them from injury. His ear was reattached by ear, nose, and throat surgeon, Paul Judge, MD, and a titanium rod was placed in his leg by orthopedic surgeon, James Burczak, DO. Ophthalmologist Michael Seward, DO, provided care of his serious eye injury.
Timothy’s family, who had traveled to Michigan from Florida, couldn’t be by his side because of COVID-19 visitor restrictions. However, they collaborated closely with Timothy’s care team every step of the way. Trauma surgeon, Roy Winslow, MD, gave the family his personal phone number and provided them with regular updates. Dr. Winslow made sure when Timothy was transferred out of the intensive care unit, he had a room on the ground floor so he could visit with his loved ones on the phone and see them through the window.
After five days in the hospital, Timothy was transferred to inpatient rehabilitation at Lakeland Hospital Watervliet.
“At first, I slept a lot,” said Timothy. “Being awake was the nightmare. Every time I woke up, I would remember the accident and my injuries all over again.”
But along with his family, his physical therapist, Renee Hardman, PT, occupational therapist, Steven VandenBosch, OT, and psychologist Patrick Casey, PhD, were all there to support him. Timothy knew his care team took an interest in him beyond the accident and felt their genuine concern and compassion. They encouraged him to concentrate on the things he loved and his dreams for the new business, rather than his current circumstances.
“My therapists were truly angels,” said Timothy.
His therapists also helped him relearn everyday tasks, such as showering, getting dressed, and feeding himself.
The Watervliet hospital provided the start of healing for Timothy’s parents, too. They took walks around the campus and found moments of peace in the beautiful surroundings. Each day a therapist would take Timothy down in a wheelchair to the main floor so he could see his family through a window and talk to them on the phone.
Timothy has since traveled to Florida to be with his family, but time and distance have not dimmed his appreciation for his therapists. He sees them as an important part of his recovery journey and support system. Timothy’s family also shared how grateful they were for the love, care, and expertise of Lakeland team members when their loved one’s very survival and wellbeing were at stake.
When Timothy’s mom asked the staff to tell her son she loved him, they immediately responded, “We will—we’ll be his family.”
Timothy and his parents know they couldn’t have started on the road to healing without the Lakeland team members who became not only a care team but a care family.
Berrien County’s only accredited inpatient rehabilitation program at Lakeland Hospital Watervliet is committed to improving the quality of life for patients by providing comprehensive occupational, physical, and speech therapies, along with skilled nursing and medical care. Learn more at spectrumhealthlakeland.org/inpatient-rehabilitation