National Trauma Survivors Day Celebrated Wednesday

Celebrate National Trauma Survivors Day on Wednesday, May 16.

The celebration draws inspiration from and provides support to survivors of traumatic injuries and their caregivers, opening the road to their recovery from trauma.

On this day, family, friends and caregivers who support these patients are encouraged to write them a note of inspiration to aid in the recovery process. A note of hope and support can create an unprecedented voice of compassion and solidarity from the trauma community on behalf of our patients and their families.

Chelsea Jamison, a PCT at the Infirmary, shared her story of surviving two separate traumas:

“In 2004, I was in a car collision after another car came across the median and hit my family and I head-on. My injuries included a fractured collar bone, fractured skull and a TBI. I was airlifted to a nearby hospital and put into a medically induced coma. After a few days, I woke up and started the recovery process, which lasted a few more weeks.

“In 2007, I was a passenger in yet another head-on car crash. This time the injuries were far worse: my brain hemorrhaged in 5 places and I had a fractured sacrum. I was again put in a coma, and a neurologist watched my brain on a monitor 24 hours a day. They drilled a hole in my skull to drain some of the blood from my head, and the doctors informed my parents things weren’t looking good. I was supposed to be paralyzed on the left side of my body and not expected to wake up. If I did come out of the coma, they expected me to remain in a vegetative state. Surprisingly, after months of extensive therapies, I made a full recovery. I’m so grateful to the nurses and doctors who helped save my life both times. Prayer along with modern medicine saved my life.”

The Trauma Survivors Network is encouraging people to mark the day by printing this sign and writing your words of advice or inspiration on it. Take a picture with the sign and share it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with #TraumaSurvivorsDay and #NTSD.