HATTIESBURG, Miss.—When news spread that Las Vegas magician Roy Horn had been mauled by a tiger, most people could only imagine his terror.
Kellie Griffin knows the horror firsthand.
On March 14, 2001, a tiger attacked Griffin while she was at work at the Kemper Park Zoo in Hattiesburg, forcing the amputation of her lower right leg.
“Once I read the story about Horn, I pictured what happened and I felt the way he must have felt,” Griffin said.
PEARL, Miss.—Thelma Andrews is a 90-year-old who doesn’t believe in living life on the sidelines.
So when the pain of three spinal fractures made her practically bedridden, the Pearl woman struggled with the idea of losing her go-getter lifestyle. “I have a horror of being where I can’t get up and move around,” she said. “It is hard to just sit.”
JACKSON, Miss.—Greg Hayes had one thing on his mind that January morning—getting to work.
So as he headed out the door, he paid little attention to a strange tingling sensation in his right arm—until his wife Cheryl noted his speech was slurred.
“The more he talked to me, the worse it seemed to get,” she said.
Worried that Greg might be having a stroke, the Hayes headed to the emergency room where their fears were confirmed. The 47-year-old owner of G&G Lawn Service had joined the ranks of the more than 750,000 Americans each year who suffer a stroke.
JACKSON, Miss.—September is National Baby Safety Month, a good time for parents to make sure children are safely buckled up while riding in the family car, truck or SUV, says Dr. Rahul Vohra, medical director at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson.
“Over 80 percent of children are incorrectly restrained when riding in a motor vehicle,” Vohra said. “Wearing a seatbelt properly can reduce the risk of serious injury by as much as 50 percent.”
BRANDON, Miss.—Tucker Hoge didn’t have a driver’s license, car insurance or any business being behind the wheel of a car.
But when you’re 15 – and the’67 Chevy truck in the driveway is destined to be yours anyway – a little spin around the block can seem like no big deal. At least, it didn’t until the spring day Tucker took the truck for a test drive and promptly lost control. “I dodged a mail box and a ditch, but I hit a tree dead-center,” he said.
JACKSON, Miss.—If Tucker Hoge of Brandon ever needs extra credit in science class, the 16-year-old can mention that he’s doing his part to improve the care of traumatic brain injury patients.
Data gathered during Hoge’s recovery at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson has been included in the Traumatic Brain Injury Model System database. Scientists across the United States use the national database to research ways to improve rehabilitation outcomes.
JACKSON, Miss.—As energetic, fun-seeking children fill playgrounds this school year, physicians at Methodist Rehabilitation Center are urging parents to think first about play safety.
“Because many playgrounds are unsafe, parents and school educators need to be more involved in playground supervision, ” said Dr. Rahul Vohra, medical director at Methodist Rehab. “Always check the area for hazards and keep children in close proximity.”
FLOWOOD, Miss.—As Jim Myrick approaches Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s east campus in Flowood, his eyes scan Layfair Drive as only a competitive runner can.
For 17 years, Myrick has participated in the hospital’s annual Reunion Race, and he’ll be back for the 18th installment on Sept. 13.
The race raises funds for the non-profit hospital and serves as a homecoming for former patients, but neither objective is the primary lure for local runners like Myrick.
They just appreciate the chance to post their best times on the race’s fast, flat course.
JACKSON, Miss.—As a fourth generation farmer, Ned Jeter of Virginia figured he knew all the risks of his profession. “I thought I might get hurt on some type of machinery or a bull might run over me,” he said.
He never imagined a little mosquito might do him in, until a debilitating case of West Nile virus infection left him unable to stand on his own two feet. “I never thought something as small as a mosquito would do this much harm,” he said.
BRANDON, Miss.—As a pediatrician with Rankin Children’s Group, Dr. Michelle VanNorman’s days are full of physical activity—from stooping to welcome shy toddlers to wrestling with reluctant patients.
So when VanNorman began experiencing back pain so severe she couldn’t even lift her own toddler, the mother of three knew she needed help. She found it at Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s east campus in Flowood, where doctors, psychologists and therapists work as a team to address the myriad causes of chronic back pain.