Sunday, April 21, 2013

Coffee Can Health Care - Part 2

By Jeff Simpson

As Promised, here is part 2 of our ongoing series about the health care system in our country.  We brought you the story yesterday of Jeff Bauman the hero who lost both of his legs in the Boston Marathon Bombings.

Today we bring you the story of two more people who were victims in the same bombings:

 Christian Williams and Caroline Reinsch:


Our friends Christian Williams and Caroline Reinsch were at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15. The first bomb exploded just feet from where they were standing. Their legs were shredded by the blasts and Christian’s right hand was also partially “degloved”, meaning he has no skin left on his last three fingers. They are both still in the hospital and have undergone multiple surgeries on their legs. There will be more in the coming days and possibly weeks. Both Christian and Caroline ran the Boston Marathon last year, raising thousands of dollars for Dana Farber Cancer Institute through their successful campaign, "Make My Feet Go."

You can leave well wishes here! 

After speaking with Christian about his ordeal, he remembers quite vividly that a Boston Marathon runner who is also a surgeon, came to his rescue. He remembers the man hollering to EMTs, "if we can get this guy out on the next transport he has a chance, otherwise he's going to die". That's when he realized how serious his injuries were. He remembers the man taking two belts and putting a tourniquet on each leg so he wouldn’t bleed to death. Christian said he can still remember the smell after the blast, "It smelled like gunpowder...like fireworks." He feels fortunate, even lucky, about his situation. "I'm just happy I get to keep my legs," he said. “And even if my hand is banged up after these bandages come off, it's okay, I still have my hand, too.”
Christian is indeed lucky that his legs will not have to be amputated. But the state of his condition is still not known by doctors. The severity of the injuries are still too early to talk about long term implications. His spirits are pretty amazing considering what he has been through.
Caroline originally ran from the scene as her adrenaline and ‘fight or flight’ instincts kicked in. But as she looked back, she saw that Christian was not with her. She quickly returned to the bomb scene where she found her boyfriend on the ground, unable to get up. This is when she realized she too, had been hit, and collapsed. She has undergone many leg surgeries since Monday and has more to go. In spite of all that she has been through, she is doing well and is in good spirits. As her friend Kara pointed out, she’s not as concerned about herself as she is for Christian. She keeps asking how Christian is doing.
You can donate to help Christian and Caroline here!


 



Email me your coffee can health care stories and fundraiser information and we will post them here -

jeffcogdis@yahoo.com

No comments:

Post a Comment