Roxanna’s journey comes full circle.
Roxanna Palacios can tell you that in an instant, the path you thought you were following can be abruptly redirected.
After an accident in the summer of 2024 left her with wounds to heal, she had to set aside plans to pursue her own career in healthcare while she recovered.
One warm August weekend, Roxanna was four-wheeling through the Winthrop area with family. Before heading home for the afternoon, she decided to go for one last ride, this time sharing a four-wheeler with her cousin.
As the duo were driving, Roxanna’s leg got caught in the back tire, trapping it near the muffler and exhaust pipe. They stopped the four-wheeler and removed Roxanna’s leg from where it had been caught and burned against the hot metal.
“I couldn’t believe what had just happened,” said Roxanna. “I noticed that my foot was a little scraped up and bloody, and I was walking funny due to the pain, but at that point, I was just trying to convince myself that the pain was just like a rug burn, and that everything was going to be fine.”
Roxanna continued trying to walk off the pain, but when she got home, she inspected her leg.
“My skin didn’t even look like my skin anymore,” said Roxanna. “It looked like a huge blister.”
Roxanna had suffered second-degree burns – our provider treated the wound and referred her for a follow-up appointment in our Wound Center.
“That was only the start of my journey with gauze,” said Roxanna. “At that point, I knew it was going to take a while to heal.”
Roxanna began visiting our Wound Center once a week. While she was initially nervous about her appointments, our staff quickly put her at ease.
“I remember seeing Sam at the front desk as soon as I walked in, and she was such a ball of joy. She was so sweet to me,” said Roxanna.
Our team taught Roxanna how to change her wound dressings, instructing her to do so daily to promote healing and avoid infection. During her initial visits, the Wound Center team used a variety of items to soften her skin before moving her to medical honey, or “medihoney.”
“Medihoney is a topical debrider, which helps break down the buildup of dead tissue that sits on the surface of a wound,” said Morgan Schmidt, BSN, RN, CWON. “With the traumatic way Roxanna received her wounds and due to their size, they caused her a lot of discomfort and inflammation, so medihoney was a great debridement option for her.”
Roxanna’s mom often helped her change the dressings, a process which typically took an hour each day.
“The medihoney was the most difficult – it would burn and sting, and I’d sit with an ice pack on it until the pain passed,” said Roxanna. “The Wound Center team helped me with pain relief, and continued providing me with alternate options when the Tylenol and ibuprofen weren’t cutting it anymore.”
Despite the pain, Roxanna was committed to diligently changing her dressings each day and returning to the Wound Center each week.
“I knew I couldn’t miss out on it. I had to do it for my health, for my own sake. It was what was going to help,” said Roxanna.
Due to the size of Roxanna’s wounds, her initial dressing changes were quite challenging, and lidocaine was used to help reduce the pain.
“We took our time when it came to removing the dressings, and saturated the products with saline to prevent any pulling on the skin tissue. Roxanna did so great through it all,” said Jenna Tousley, BSN, RN, CWON. “She always had a smile on her face, regardless of how difficult the debridement or dressing change was. We’d always remind her how strong she was.”
More Than Skin Deep
Roxanna was enrolled in Ridgewater College for their Radiology program when her injury occurred. She had also decided to enroll in our GRH-provided Nursing Assistant Training Program.
However, due to her wound, she put off the program. Walking was a challenge, and she had to stop her usual activities, like working out at the gym. Wounds that take a long time to heal can affect more than just the body, and the emotional and mental impact of Roxanna’s injury began to take its toll.
“It was a rollercoaster of emotions. I was scared, and the pain was impacting my daily life,” said Roxanna. “It got to the point where I let it affect my mental health, physical health, and my schooling. I was just sad. I kept thinking that even after all this, after I finally heal, I’m going to have this big scar – and not one, but two.”
Roxanna’s mom noticed that she wasn’t quite herself after her injury, and suggested the two take a trip to Texas to visit family.
“She knew I needed some family love,” said Roxanna. “It was tough – I remember crying every day because of how much pain I was in, and feeling like I was holding us all back from our activities when I had to spend one hour of every day just changing my dressings. But laughing with family, seeing my cousins’ new babies, and visiting people who loved me helped so much.”
In addition to her powerful support system in her family, Roxanna was grateful for the support of the Wound Center team.
That sense of encouragement and emotional support became just as important to Roxanna’s healing as the physical care she received.
“Our team recognizes right away that healing our patients’ wounds goes beyond bandages and medications – it’s also about being seen, heard, and supported,” said Wound Center Director Ashley Cohrs, MSN, RN. “We made it a priority to create a caring, comforting environment where Roxanna felt safe to talk about her fears and frustrations. By listening with empathy, celebrating her progress with every milestone, and reassuring her about the healing process and long-term outlook, we helped her regain a sense of hope and control.”
A New Path Forward
In addition to her physical care, Roxanna received advice from our team about going into a healthcare career.
“I would ask Jenna and Morgan about their experiences being a nurse,” she said. “They encouraged me and told me that if I worked hard, I could do it. Watching them care for me was inspiring to me – I’ve always been interested in healthcare and the idea of being able to help others with a voice that perhaps they don’t have.”
As Roxanna’s leg healed, her pain decreased and her wound dressings became easier.
“I was impressed by how quickly it would change in just a week,” said Roxanna. “It felt so good, being able to walk easily and feeling like I was almost done healing. When my dressings changed to just a large, flexible Band-Aid, I felt like I was normal again.”
When Roxanna visited the Wound Center for her final appointment, she received a certificate of healing, which she kept proudly hung in her home afterward.
“Seeing the words ‘You are healed’ on that piece of paper made me want to cry,” said Roxanna. “I remember going straight to my mom to tell her I was healed. I was so happy to be through the recovery process, it didn’t even feel real.”
She slowly began to get back into her normal activities again, and enrolled in our Nursing Assistant Training Program to kickstart her career. And this spring, she officially passed her State exam, completing our program, and helping residents at GlenFields, our skilled nursing facility.
“Now that I’m through the healing process, I feel so happy. They did such a good job, and treated me with so much care in the Wound Center,” said Roxanna.
in our Wound Center in celebration.
She encourages anyone in a similar situation to seek the care they need.
“Something small could turn into something so big – if I hadn’t gotten care, I could have gotten an infection that could have led to something worse,” said Roxanna. “It’s definitely worth it to seek the care that you need. You have to do it for yourself, for your own healing.”
As Roxanna prepares for her next chapter, she carries both gratitude and excitement. She knows firsthand how vulnerable it can feel to be a patient—and how powerful it can be to have someone in your corner.
Interested in learning more?
Read more about our Wound Center here, or call us to schedule an appointment at 320-864-7040.
