Glencoe-Silver Lake (GSL) High School sophomore Henry Becker hit a literal bump in the road on his way to football practice one morning in late August. As he was driving his moped, he hit a large chunk of dirt on the road, causing the moped to tip and sending Henry sliding across the road.
Henry’s mom, GRH Occupational Therapist Michelle Becker, and their neighbor, who is a pharmacist, initially cleaned and wrapped Henry’s wounds. Henry’s accident resulted in multiple large abrasions to his upper right arm, shoulder, chin, and right lower leg. The following day, Henry developed a fever and went to the GRH Emergency Room, where he was hospitalized overnight and treated for susceptibility to infection.
“The more surface area covered by abrasions, the more likely you are to develop an infection,” said Michelle. “We’re very lucky to have the Wound Center and hospital at GRH. A lot of his body was covered in abrasions, and they provided really great care for us.”
Right Place, Right Provider
Bryan Petersen, MD, happened to be the hospitalist working during Henry’s hospital stay – a convenience Michelle and Henry were grateful for, as Dr. Petersen also serves as the medical director at the Wound Center. After assessing Henry, our team recommended he receive follow-up care in our Wound Center, where Henry was able to continue seeing Dr. Petersen.
“It was an amazing, smooth transition for us to see Dr. Petersen from the start of Henry’s hospital stay to the end of his care in the Wound Center,” said Michelle. “The continuity of care between the hospital and Wound Center was excellent – everyone was very well-educated with a high-level understanding of their specialty. It was so helpful to have these services close to home.”
In the Wound Center, Dr. Petersen debrided Henry’s wounds and guided Henry and Michelle through the process of changing Henry’s dressings at home.
“At first it was painful, but as we moved on, it got better,” said Henry. “Everyone was extremely helpful. They told me exactly what was going to happen during my appointments, and they were very reassuring.”
Henry received care in the Wound Center for three months, initially coming in for appointments twice a week.
“We worked closely as a team to create a unique approach to treat Henry’s wounds,” said Morgan Schmidt, BSN, RN, CWON, who frequently cared for Henry during his appointments. “We monitored him closely, and continuously encouraged him that he was going to heal, letting him know we’d be right there with him to offer support during the process.”
Eventually, Henry developed a keloid scar on one of his deeper wounds, which he received several injections for.
“They changed his treatment plan as the wound changed,” said Michelle. “They were very evidence-based when they would talk about what they were doing, and always explained the ‘why’ behind their approach.”
As he recovered from his wounds, Henry missed the entire season of football – though his injuries didn’t stop him from attending all of the practices and games. While he couldn’t initially participate in practice, toward the end of the season he was able to join in, as long as he wasn’t playing in contact with his team members.
“I’m really looking forward to next season,” said Henry. “I’m grateful the Wound Center was able to help me recover and get back to playing football with the rest of my team at GSL.”
