Pattie Stadler, RN, BSN, CCRN, CEN, Trauma Program Manager

Pattie Stadler’s recollection of this story is still vivid…even though it happened nearly 23 years ago.

Pattie recalls, “As a critical care nurse, I was assigned to the 11 p.m.–7a.m. shift…which meant I’d get home in time to see the kids off to school and then get some sleep during the day until my shift started again that evening.”

“It was around 3 p.m. when the door burst open to my bedroom and my daughter came in screaming that her brother, Lowell had been hit by a car. I was stunned and somewhat dazed, but I quickly got to my feet and raced down the quarter mile driveway to where my son lay in the street. I looked at him lying there…his shoes had been knocked off, his thighs had been crushed and he had lost a tremendous amount of blood. When I looked into his eyes I could see he was dying. As a critical care nurse, I did all I could. Fortunately, an ambulance had just left the nursing home near our house, which was in a rural area and miles away from the nearest hospital” she said.

Once stabilized, Lowell, only six years old was rushed to a nearby trauma center where he spent nearly three weeks in a coma. “If our community hadn’t had this trauma center and a team of physicians and nurses who were committed to saving lives, Lowell never would have made it” says Pattie.

Many months of rehabilitation followed, but Lowell recovered to eventually return to the normal life of an active, rambunctious boy. Today, Lowell is a professional photographer at Walt Disney World and enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.

Pattie added, “As a mother, you have no idea how traumatic it is to see your child in that condition. When Lowell recovered and we knew he was going to make it, I made a life changing decision to pursue trauma care as my profession. I saw first-hand what a difference trauma physicians and nurses can make in the life of their patients. And a trauma center just like the one at Tallahassee Memorial saved the my son’s life. I am proud to be the Trauma Program Manager at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and that’s why TMH is my hospital. ”