|
 |
Lancaster Newspapers Inc. (PA)
Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, PA)
December 13, 2007:
A visit to savor
Shooting victim Brianna Pratt's presence is a present for doctors
Author: Susan E. Lindt Intelligencer Journal Staff
Eight-year-old Brianna Pratt was determined to pay a visit. And for a couple of Lancaster General Hospital surgeons, Christmas came early Wednesday when they met their tiny patient nearly a year after saving her life after a drive-by shooting.
"She was on death's doorstep," cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mark Burlingame said of Brianna, who was shot in her back Jan. 4 near the intersection of Beaver and West Andrew streets as she walked home from a grocery store with her mother.
That night at Lancaster General's downtown trauma center, the unluckiest kid in the world got a break. Dr. Edward Chory was on call when Brianna was brought in. He knew Burlingame's help was crucial for the girl's survival. Burlingame might have been up to a half-hour away from the North Lime Street hospital, but when Chory called him, Burlingame happened to be in the building. That stroke of luck likely saved Brianna's life.
"It was very fortuitous," Chory said. "I don't know if she would have survived if it weren't for that. Everything came together. The stars were perfectly aligned."
Those in the life-saving business call it "cracking the chest." It's a risky procedure in the best circumstance, let alone in an emergency. But Chory determined it was the only way to remove the bullet lodged in Brianna's lung and relieve pressure on her heart.
"It's very rare for someone to survive that," Chory said of the surgical procedure.
But Brianna did, and after a short recovery at Lancaster General, she was sent to Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
After two months in hospitals, Brianna returned home to continue her physical therapy and recovery. Brianna's mother, LaToya Thomas, eventually moved from Lancaster to Coatesville at the urging of her family. And Brianna began second grade at a new school, King's Highway Elementary School.
But there was something Brianna had to do.
"For a while, she's been asking to meet the guy who saved her life," Thomas said. "I waited a while and then I called the hospital and asked. She was so determined to meet him."
On Wednesday, in the hospital's giant lobby - decorated to the nines for the holidays - Brianna was too shy to say much to Burlingame and Chory. But she did pose with the surgeons for a few photos. The men clearly were tickled to see how far she had come.
"I think her recovery could be characterized as miraculous," Burlingame said. "I think it's nice that she came back to see the people who took care of her."
The visit conjured tears in Thomas, who remembered again just how near-fatal that walk to the grocery store was that January day.
"It runs through my mind constantly," Thomas said. "So many kids have gotten shot and die, but my daughter lived."
Some of those other kids' parents sought out Thomas while Brianna was recovering at Hershey Medical Center. Amish friends and family of the Nickel Mines victims visited Thomas to reassure her Brianna could fully recover.
"It really touched me that they made a point to see me," Thomas said of her Amish visitors. "It was really neat. They just told me to pray and put it in God's hands and I did."
On Wednesday, Burlingame admitted Brianna's case often comes back to him, too.
"The events of that particular day are very vivid in my mind," Burlingame said. "The news media (reports) often bring her to mind."
Brianna's gang-related shooting was well covered by the media, from the start to the eventual arrest of three suspects. And even on Wednesday, a slew of television news crews wanted to document a rare good news ending to a story that, like so many others, began with violence.
"I just came to say thank you so much for giving my daughter another chance to live," Thomas told the surgeons.
"It's shows the type of person you are to seek us out to thank us," Chory replied. "That means a lot to us. It's an early Christmas present."
E-mail: slindt@lnpnews.com
All content (c) 2007 Lancaster Newspapers Inc. and may not be republished without permission.
Record Number: 677490000000.1064671 |
|
|
 |
|
