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COVID-19 patients share stories of recovery at UT Health Tyler

Roy Anderson and Vivian Schumer arrived at UT Health Tyler within 24 hours of one another, both gravely ill from COVID-19. They both spent weeks on a ventilator and were celebrated with viral videos of hospital staff cheering as they “graduated” from ICU and were wheeled to a different unit. On Friday, both were discharged from the hospital where they spent almost a month.

“I’m doing great,” Schumer said. “I’m ready to get out!”

Your family members share with you more than just the same color eyes or the same kind of hair. While many features you have inherited from your family members may be easy to recognize, one thing that is not easy to immediately recognize is family medical history.

Today, more than 7.7 million Americans have PTSD.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious condition that develops in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. The symptoms of PTSD can have a negative impact on your mental and physical health, work and relationships.

Getting hurt in athletics can mean more than just a strain or a sprain. Sports hernias are another common injury among athletes.

A sports hernia, also known as athletic pubalgia, is a strain or tear of any soft tissue (muscle, tendon, ligament) in the lower abdomen or groin area.

Unlike traditional inguinal hernias, sports hernias do not cause a visible bulge. The pain associated with sports hernias are caused by torn tendons that attach to the pelvis. Symptoms may include sharp pain in the lower abdomen, groin or in the testicle (males).

Carolyn Gianettino, 75, started volunteering at UT Health Tyler three years ago after her husband spent several days in the hospital. She was looking for a way to fill her retirement and to give back to her community.

“We received excellent, excellent help and care here and after that was all over with we were just wondering what can we do to give back,” Gianettino said. “I saw the volunteers and thought, ‘That’s something I can do.’”

Dr. Paul Detwiler was so inspired by the team of UT Health Tyler emergency room nurses who responded to patients brought into the ER from a fatal house fire that he created a special Grace Under Pressure award that he presented to them at the hospital’s management conference this month.

UT Health East Texas EMS has earned a fourth consecutive, three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services for its compliance with national standards of excellence. UT Health East Texas EMS is one of only 180 ambulance services in the country to successfully complete the voluntary review process which, included completion of a comprehensive application and on-site review by national experts in emergency medical services (EMS). With this achievement, UT Health East Texas EMS continues to be the only accredited ambulance service in East Texas.

Tyler, Texas (February 14, 2019) Rebekah Hill, RN, with UT Health Rehabilitation Hospital, was selected by the UT Health East Texas Healthcare System as a DAISY Award winner.

As part of the DAISY Foundation’s program, the award recognizes nurses who go above and beyond when providing care for their patients. Nurses are nominated by anyone who sees an act of extraordinary care and then selected by a hospital nursing committee quarterly.

Hill received a primary nomination from co-worker and fellow nurse Cassie Kirkley.

Haydn Michael Tijerina joined UT Health East Texas EMS|AIR1 on Dec. 3, 2018, and is already making a difference in his patients’ lives. On Jan. 21, Haydn and his partner responded to an individual living alone. The house was not in good living condition; no doors, windows, heat or air conditioning, the refrigerator was not working and there was no toilet. This individual only ate canned goods out of a can.

Athens resident Meagan Sims remembers what it felt like as a young girl to be hospitalized and scared at Christmas, but she recalls it fondly because of the generosity of others.

“While I was there it was so wonderful because these different people would come in at different times and drop off gifts. One time, I woke up and looked down and there was a stuffed animal tucked under my arm, another time it was a coloring book,” Sims said. “It meant so much to me then that someone thought about me at Christmas when I couldn’t be home with my own tree.”