Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center to host Fifth Annual Night of Recognition on Oct. 9

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Walking miracles. That’s the simplest way to describe the three patients who will be honored at the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center’s Fifth Annual Night of Recognition, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9 at the Morgantown Event Center at Waterfront Place.

“More often than not, our patients have no idea how many people it takes to get them from the scene of their accidents through treatment and recovery. This event gives us the opportunity to show them how much of a team effort went into getting them where they are today,” Alison Wilson, M.D., director of the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center and vice chair and Skewes Family Chair for Trauma in the WVU Department of Surgery, said. “We also get the chance to thank those individuals for the very critical role each one plays in the trauma system. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone together that night.”

The stories of three patients will be told during the Night of Recognition. The individual patients and representatives of each stage of their care will be presented with a Cornerstone of Recovery Award. Approximately 75 awards will be presented. The patient honorees are:
 

• Clark Currie, 78, of Bethel Park, Pa., was traveling to his job in a coal mine when he was hit head on by a gravel truck in Greene County, Pa. The accident collapsed his lungs, ruptured his spleen, damaged part of his colon, broke almost all of his ribs and his sternum, and severed his internal thoracic arteries. After 18 days in Ruby Memorial Hospital, he spent a month at Kindred Hospital in Pittsburgh before being transferred to HealthSouth for rehabilitation. He has since retired from his job in the mine, but he is keeping busy with work around his home.
• Sabrina Hanlon, 57, of Morgantown was driving down I-79 to Doddridge County when a large truck ran her off the road and into the guard rail. The car went airborne and wrapped around a huge pole holding the directional signs across the interstate. The crash broke both legs in multiple places, broke six ribs, broke her arm, bruised her lung and heart, and damaged her spleen and liver. She spent two weeks in the hospital and another two weeks at HealthSouth. Today, she and her husband are both retired and using their time to enjoy their grandchildren.
• Paige Snider, 2, of Reedsville, W.Va., was playing with her mother on their farm when she darted under a fence corralling the family’s horses. One of the horses, which weighed more than 1,000 lbs., kicked her, causing near-fatal injuries. Her stomach burst, her spleen was perforated, and her lungs were bruised. She spent a total of three weeks in the hospital, including two on a ventilator in intensive care, and underwent two surgeries. She has since returned home, where she still loves to ride and feed her horses.

“The fact that all of these patients are now doing as well as they are speaks volumes of the hard work and dedication of the people who helped get them there,” Dr. Wilson said. “Each job in the trauma team is vital to ensuring that each of these patients transitioned from accident victim to survivor.”

Patients recognized at previous Night of Recognition celebrations will be in attendance this year. Information on those patients and those honored for participating in their care can be found at http://home.hsc.wvu.edu/night-of-recognition/honorees.

Through sponsorship and ticket sales, proceeds from the Night of Recognition will provide crucial funds to the School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery to help support the Trauma Center’s Injury Prevention Outreach Programs, which provide education to people of all ages.

The Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center, located at WVU Healthcare’s Ruby Memorial Hospital, was created in the 1980s with the assistance and support of the late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd. It is named for Byrd’s grandson, who died as a result of an automobile crash. Each year, the Trauma Center treats more than 3,000 patients from all over West Virginia, as well as those from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

Attention reporters and editors: If you plan on covering the Night of Recognition, please confirm your attendance with Angela Jones-Knopf at 304-293-1413 or knopfa@wvuhealthcare.com in advance.