Harlie Trumbach doesn’t remember much from the crash that trapped her in a burning vehicle.
“All I remember is calling my kids and my girlfriend to say goodbye,” Trumbach said. “Because I didn’t think I was going to make it out of the car.”
She recalls even less from the hours afterward, when she had to be intubated after suffering a stroke while bleeding from her carotid artery.
What she does remember is the kindness and care of the emergency workers who stopped at nothing to save her life.
“When I felt supported the most was when I woke up and saw them (my care team),” Trumbach said. “(Dr.) Ryan (Michels) who helped me sit up and start moving from the bed to the chair. All the nurses that helped me, even though they didn’t know what I was saying.”
Trumbach was one of three Reading Hospital patients who spoke during a recent event at the hospital celebrating trauma survivors’ recoveries and the workers who aid them.
In a tearful recounting of her ordeal, Trumbach thanked her care team, who she saw for the first time since leaving the hospital.
“All my therapists and my nurses that were at the rehab that helped me when I didn’t want to do anything at all, I really appreciate all of you guys so much,” Trumbach said.
Some of the reunions were effectively introductions, like when Trumbach met Northen Berks EMS worker Jackie Ginther, who responded to the crash.
“You probably remember me the least because I gave you the most medication,” Ginther said.
Trumbach responded with a laugh and a hug.
Dr. Alice Lee was a surgeon who operated on Trumbach while she was in the intensive care unit.
She said Trumbach started having strokelike symptoms in the trauma bay, requiring quick action from the team to bring her to the ICU and stabilize her.
“It was multiple different doctors,” Lee said. “We had the neurocritical care doctor that was involved, our respiratory therapist who helped with ventilator settings. We had the GI doctor come in because she started bleeding internally and they were able to stop the bleeding.”
Lee credited her team for keeping Trumbach alive during the critical period.
“It was really rewarding when we finally took that breathing tube out,” Lee said. “Seeing her be able to smile and just watching (her interact with) all the family members.”
Cassie Kershner, occupational therapist, said she helped Trumbach regain her mobility.
“A lot of her early sessions were focusing on getting her to tolerate sitting at the edge of the bed,” Kercher said. “She was in a lot of pain with her broken leg and just having the stroke as well.”
Abby McCall, a physician assistant who cared for Trumbach after she was stabilized, said it was amazing to see her progress.
“I love these events because we on the inpatient side don’t really get to see how our patients then do after rehab,” McCall said.
Harlie Trumbach and the Reading Hospital team that cared for her after she was severely injured in a car crash. (Keith Dmochowski – Reading Eagle)
Five months have passed since Trumbach’s accident.
She is now able to walk with a cane and speak and continues to push forward with optimism.
“I was depressed in the beginning of my recovery,” Trumbach said. “But I quickly realized that wasn’t going to help me. I ended up getting motivated and pushing myself to do things.”
Steve McLaughlin
Staying positive is a critical step on the road to recovery, said Steve McLaughlin, who was left quadriplegic after a 1,000-pound scrap dumpster fell on him, breaking parts of his spinal cord.
Steve McLaughlin is continuing his recovery at Reading Hospital after a spinal injury left him quadriplegic. (Keith Dmochowski – Reading Eagle)
He’s since regained function in his upper body, along with some ability to walk assisted.
“I’m out walking with my walker every day and riding my (adaptive cycle),” McLaughlin said. “Don’t get down on yourself. Just keep pushing, keep going.”
He noted the cycle was provided with assistance from IM ABLE Foundation.
McLaughlin said he continues to do therapy at the hospital, including pool therapy.
He said he looks forward to visiting with staff during his sessions.
“It’s nice that you can get on a personal level with everybody and they actually care,” McLaughlin said. “They check up on you, ask how you’re doing in general.”
Staff speaks of bond
The bond between patients and the care team leaves a lasting impact, according to members of the team who cared for Arianna Hampton, 16.
Hampton has a history of spina bifida and came to the hospital after developing numbness in her lower extremities.
Trauma survivor Arianna Hampton left a lasting impact on her care team at the Reading Hospital. (Keith Dmochowski – Reading Eagle)
Nurses who spoke said they developed a relationship with Hampton and felt invested in her recovery journey.
One care worker said caring for Hampton reminded him of interacting with his daughter.
“You left that impact on everyone, that bond and that relationship, and that unique and special,” another team members said.