{"id":8671,"date":"2018-01-08T21:13:28","date_gmt":"2018-01-08T21:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/?p=8671"},"modified":"2018-01-08T21:21:19","modified_gmt":"2018-01-08T21:21:19","slug":"from-trauma-to-triumph-south-jersey-woman-turns-injuries-into-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/2018\/01\/08\/from-trauma-to-triumph-south-jersey-woman-turns-injuries-into-inspiration\/","title":{"rendered":"From Trauma to Triumph: South Jersey Woman Turns Injuries Into Inspiration"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Emilee’s story was featured on the cover of the Winter 2018 issue of Health Connection. To view and download this issue, click the image.<\/p><\/div>\n

On July 20, 2013, after a day of crabbing\u00a0with friends, Emilee Ballinghoff of Mays\u00a0Landing, New Jersey, then just 19 years\u00a0old, was involved in a one-car accident in\u00a0Monroe Township that ejected her from\u00a0the vehicle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t remember the accident, but I\u00a0do remember waking up to the doctor,\u201d\u00a0Emilee recalls. \u201cHe said, \u2018Emilee, you were\u00a0in a car accident and you lost your leg.\u2019\u00a0I thought it was a nightmare, so I ended\u00a0up closing my eyes and then I was in a\u00a0sedated coma for about a week. When I\u00a0woke up, it was the reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emilee\u2019s list of injuries was extensive.\u00a0She lost her right leg below the knee at\u00a0the scene, suffered a compound fracture\u00a0of her left tibia, fractured her spine and\u00a0several ribs, and sustained a traumatic\u00a0brain injury. Emilee was airlifted to\u00a0Cooper, where the team at the Level 1\u00a0Trauma Center<\/a> saved her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmilee came in with catastrophic\u00a0injuries,\u201d says Kenneth W. Graf, MD<\/a>,\u00a0Director, Orthopaedic Trauma and\u00a0Fracture Program<\/a>. \u201cIn a regular\u00a0community hospital, an injury like\u00a0Emilee\u2019s wouldn\u2019t be dealt with. It\u00a0would be sent here, because this is\u00a0what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt starts with the first person to see a\u00a0trauma patient. They will then call in\u00a0consultations to any number of specialties\u00a0because we are on call 24 hours a day,\u00a0seven days a week. There\u2019s a surgeon\u00a0right at the door,\u201d says Dr. Graf.<\/p>\n

Situated within the only Level 1 Trauma\u00a0Center in southern New Jersey, the Cooper\u00a0Orthopaedic Trauma team is uniquely\u00a0equipped to care for patients who suffer\u00a0from traumatic orthopaedic injuries.\u00a0At Cooper, a team of experts \u2013 such as\u00a0surgeons, traumatologists, and other\u00a0trauma professionals \u2013 follow protocols\u00a0to ensure that patients receive state-of-the-art surgical care as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

Cooper is the only area regional trauma center with fellowship-trained\u00a0orthopaedic traumatologists. Although all orthopaedic\u00a0surgeons are trained to treat muscle, bone, and joint injuries,\u00a0the traumatologist brings a new level of expertise to the\u00a0handling of complex and multiple injuries.<\/p>\n

Once Emilee\u2019s vital signs were stabilized, the Orthopaedic Trauma\u00a0surgeons and team had to work quickly. The main goal with a\u00a0traumatic amputation is to save the knee joint. Dr. Graf explains\u00a0why: \u201cThere is a prosthesis now that can be attached to even the\u00a0smallest piece of tibia that is still attached to the knee. So our\u00a0number one goal was to save as much tibia as we could.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emilee spent five months recovering as an inpatient at\u00a0Cooper. She feels that the nurses and doctors were there for\u00a0her each step of the way, providing their medical expertise, encouragement,\u00a0and moral support. \u201cThe nurses impacted my\u00a0life in those months,\u201d recalls Emilee. \u201cThey really helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n

During her recovery,\u00a0Emilee had dozens of\u00a0surgeries, a number\u00a0of which Dr. Graf\u00a0performed. \u201cEmilee\u2019s\u00a0attitude remained spotless during the\u00a0whole process,\u201d says\u00a0Dr. Graf. \u201cIf you wanted\u00a0to hold up someone\u00a0as a beacon of hope, I think Emilee is your patient. When you see her, you can\u2019t help but smile.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the surgeries, Emilee was undergoing physical\u00a0and occupational therapy daily while at Cooper. She had to relearn\u00a0how to walk, stretch her arms above her head, and talk. The therapy team worked directly with Emilee\u2019s surgeons\u00a0and physicians to ensure seamless care. Every day, Emilee\u00a0worked on getting stronger. Recalling the therapy, Emilee says,\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not going to sugarcoat it; every day was a struggle. But you cannot change the past \u2013 you can only control your future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emilee\u2019s injuries were so devastating that at one point immediately\u00a0following the accident, her family was initially told that\u00a0she might not make it. \u201cBut I made it,\u201d says Emilee, \u201cand that can give hope to others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emilee continues to recover from her accident and is moving\u00a0on with her life. She recently graduated from a rehabilitation\u00a0program in Mays Landing and is living independently for the\u00a0first time since the accident. In 2014, she received her high\u00a0school diploma, an important goal in her healing process. This\u00a0goal is one step in the process to her ultimate career goal \u2013 to\u00a0be a physical therapist herself.<\/p>\n

Emilee thrives on being an inspiration to others. Talk show host\u00a0Ellen DeGeneres heard about Emilee\u2019s story and invited her\u00a0to be on the \u201cEllen\u201d show in the fall of 2015. As a longtime fan\u00a0of Ellen, Emilee jumped at the chance to tell her story to\u00a0millions, hoping she would be able to reach those who might\u00a0be having a tough time.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day is a struggle, but it\u2019s worth it when I know my\u00a0struggle can inspire others,\u201d Emilee recalls. \u201cThis has changed me\u00a0for the better. I know my story can help someone struggling to\u00a0look at things differently, in a more positive light.\u201d In July 2016, Emilee gave birth to a baby girl, Abigail, at Cooper.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen I walk\u00a0into Cooper, I feel\u00a0very emotional,\u201d says\u00a0Emilee. \u201cIt\u2019s where\u00a0they saved me and where I gave life.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

The experience of\u00a0having her daughter\u00a0at the same hospital\u00a0where she recovered\u00a0is very inspiring to\u00a0Emilee. \u201cWhen I walk\u00a0into Cooper, I feel\u00a0very emotional,\u201d says\u00a0Emilee. \u201cIt\u2019s where\u00a0they saved me and where I gave life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emilee acknowledges that chasing after her daughter is\u00a0very eventful. But she believes that even if she had two\u00a0legs, it would be hard. Emilee is proud to be an inspiration\u00a0to her daughter and continues to work on her recovery for Abigail.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly in my recovery, I decided to stop using the word\u00a0\u2018handicap\u2019,\u201d says Emilee. \u201cInstead, I chose every day to live my life as someone who is handicapable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEmilee came from a really devastating injury to a spot in her\u00a0life where she\u2019s going to function pretty well for the rest of\u00a0her life. That\u2019s huge for us,\u201d says Dr. Graf. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing that gives us more satisfaction \u2013 in this job \u2013 than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emilee is working hard each day to live her life to the fullest.\u00a0\u201cThe accident made me a better Emilee,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd Cooper\u00a0was right there beside me, making it all possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

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