The Huron Expositor, 1996-11-13, Page 7Feature
Two lives saved by Seaforth hospital
Lostover.half/ierblood after neck cut
BY DAVID SCOTT
Expositor Editor
Five minutes later and she
would have hccn•dcad.
Anita Swartman of Kippen
alrhost didn't make it. Three
years ago, on the last, Sunday
in June. the 59 -year-old
• mother of three cut both an
artery in her neck and her
jugular vein in a freak acci-
dent.
At about 8:30 (1.tn-. she
. went upstairs to the bednx►m
to change into her pajamas
before watching television
with .her husband. Bob.
downstairs.
Anita decided to clean the
glass top on the nightstand
hcforc she went downstairs.
She had to move the larnp on
the stand first.
"1 picked up the big brass
lamp with one hand. it
slipped. ( went to catch it and
fell onto the talc."
She fell onto .the glass,
which was pointing straight
up, that had been broken by
the Tamp.
If her husband wasn't
home. Anita said she would
have died.
. "He heard the noise and
yelled. Our front door was
open and our neighbours
(Trina and Brad McBride)
came running over. Bob
wrapped a 'pair of white
slacks around my neck and
Brad held thorn on with a•pil-
low pulled as tight as he
could."
Her husband Boih called the
operator and the ut him
through to stun who
talked jm•thro some
erge> y •edure until an
ulanc cd.
c Sw ans, former
eter residents, had only
been living in the Kippen
house for two years at that
point. When they asked on
the phone what the closest
hospital was. Bub replied
"Exeter."
"Brad said. 'No. send her to
Seaforth. They've got an
ambulance and a surgeon .on-
call'." said Anita.
PHOTO BY DAVID SCOTT
RELAXING AT HOME - Anita Swartman of Kippen is pictured here with her German
Shepherd "Tab." who was just a puppy at the time of her accident three years ago.
Awake Though it.Alt •
She never lust conscious-
ness during the whole ordeal
and can .rememher some
things vividly. •
"I could hear Trina- on the
road saying 'they're Herr'
when -the ambulance arrived.
1 rcme.rnher. the ambulance
calling ahead to the hospital.
When we got Mete the amhu-
lance -driver asked if i could
hear hint. i remember hearing
the thump of the wheels (of
the stretcher) and running.
Everyone was there waiting."
Anita was not put under as
they stitched up the cuts.
There was a lei of bleeding.
"I lost over -half my blood.
Dr. Rodney said 1 probably
Auld have had less than five •
Ittinute% to live: I could feel 1
was covered in blood.
Soothing Voices
With the help of Or. Ken
Rodney and Dr. Ed Malkus,
. Anita wa> able to rcrt ain •
cairn through everything:
.'All 1 telt las not to get
upset. At one point 1 got pan
icky and said 'I don't want to
die' Dr. Rodney's voice was
so soothing. -Hc said, 'just
live more minutes.' i'tl never
forget how soothing their
voices were. Dr. Malkus was
like a gentle teddy hear."
She says if a surgeon
wasn't on-call. "i would have .
been a goner."• -
Anita remembers thinking
when they were suctioning
her face for glass, "Thank
goodness. if they've gottirme
to do that they're finished."
- • Shc had "many transfu-
sions" in the hospital until
her body started making its.
own blood again. - "
There was also a baby born
when she was being treated.
"They (hospital staff) had
lots of action going on."
• Anita wasn't in the hospital
very long. "i couldn't sleep.
Alt i wanted to do was go
- home."
The hospital arranged both
VON and Home Care visits
for her prior to her discharge:
She wouldn't have agreed
to have her photo taken fol-
lowing the accident. '1 was
black and blue from my waist
up. i had over 60 stitches in
.my neck -and face."
Credit to Hospital
Anita has much praise for
the staff of Seaforth
Community Hospital. .
"Ken Rodney is my hero.
'The whole staff was great.
Dr. Malkus was a sweet
teddy hear."
Shc said when she came
hack to the clinic later for'a
follow-up appointment. Dr.
Markus gave her a big hug
and was happy to see her.
Although everybody react-
ed quickly to save hcr life,
Anita still has the traumatic
experience etched in hcr
memory.
"It took a long time to for
get."
Near death experience for resident..
BY DAVID SCOTT
Expositor Editor
"if it wasn't for the hospi-
tal. I wouldn't he sitting here
talking.".
Those i'ords arc from
Seaforth resident David
Cornish. 76. who had a near -
death experience on
December 9, 1995. •
Grace and David Cornish
were entertaining a friend
from London at approximate-
l.y 11:30 a.rn. They wore sit-
ting down having coffee
when David experienced a
terrible headache.
"i told Grace I Netter go to
the hospital," he said• when
the. headache wouldn't go
away.
Their friend drove them - to
thc hospital where Dr. Janet
Zettcl and Dr. Heather
Percival were working.
David was taken by wheel-
chair to emergency and then.
"1 didn't remember anything
for about two weeks."
He experienced an intrac-
erebral hemorrhage (bleeding
•in thc hack of the brain).
4
oti
4
4
PRAISE FOR HOSPITAL - Seaforth resident Dave Cornish
is thankful for the excellent treatment and care he received
following an intracerebral hemorrhage last winter.
Dr. Zettel road in the ambu-
lance with David to
University Hospital. Ile was
barely clinging to life. "They
nearly lost me herr. And
nearly lost me in London." he
said.
Dr. Ferguson and Dr.
Ahmad took over at
University Hospital. •
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He was in intensive: care for
nine days in London hooked
up to several monitoring
devices. with "tubes every-
where."
"I was fed by intravenous
through my nose." said Dave.
After two weeks in London
he returned to Seaforth hospi-
tal
ospital on December. 20 and spent
a month there. "it was a quiet
Christmas that year." said
Gracc.
"We were so lucky to have
this hospital here. The doc-
tors and nurses are all so
nice. They were •so pleasant
CONTINUED on page 16
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, November 13, 1884-7
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