12 / 16
but I do remember hearing my friend’s
dad communicate my injuries to the
paramedics. When I heard that my bone
was sticking out of my leg, that’s when I
started panicking.”
A life on the line
Cassidy suffered a broken sternum, a
dislocated hip, internal bleeding from a
lacerated liver and spleen, and compound
fractures in every limb — two so severe
that amputation was a very real possibility.
She was taken by CareFlite to
Methodist Dallas Medical Center, one of
only three adult Level I Trauma Centers in
Dallas County, and was placed in the care
of the chief of surgery, trauma surgeon
J. Darryl Amos, MD, and orthopedic
trauma surgeon Danny Holland, DO.
“Dr. Amos came out of surgery and
started listing Cassidy’s injuries, and then
Dr. Holland said, ‘But we’ve got to save
her life first,’” Belinda recalls. “Everything
went quiet really fast.”
The trauma surgeons worked side-by-
side to stop Cassidy’s internal bleeding and
reset her bones. “It was touch-and-go that
first week,” Dr. Holland says. “We had to
wash out and clean those fracture sites and
stabilize the limbs for future procedures.”
Over the next six months, Cassidy would
undergo about 15 surgeries to not only
survive but also to restore her quality of life.
Cassidy’s biggest fans
Cassidy persevered thanks to the support
of her parents and eight siblings.
“I learned how loved I was,” she says. “I
don’t think a day went by without a visitor.”
She also credits the team at Methodist
Dallas for restoring her self-esteem and
seeing her through times of depression
and discouragement.
“I’ve never been into school spirit, but
I definitely have hospital spirit,” Cassidy
says, laughing. “Go, Team Methodist!”
The nurses on 9 Schenkel Tower stood
out. They cried with her in her lowest
moments and once even threw her a “girl
party,” complete with a manicure. Two of
her emergency department nurses visited
often, and her post-op nurses joined in
when she came out of surgeries singing
classics like “Ice, Ice Baby.”
Cassidy’s mom remembers Dr. Holland,
who has four daughters of his own, at
times being more of a father than a doctor.
“This was a life-changing event for
Cassidy, and everyone who made contact
with her tried to pull her out of the
doldrums,” Dr. Holland says. “I just sat
with her and talked with her as I would
with one of my own kids.
“While this was a tragic accident, we were
going to focus on what we could control
and we were going to make the best of it.”
A new outlook on life
Within months of Cassidy’s initial surgeries,
she was walking, driving, and playing
guitar. She continues physical therapy, and
there are other surgeries ahead, but Cassidy
sees the bright side of her future.
“I now know what I want to do with
my life: I want to be a physical therapist
and help people,” she says, having
just completed her first semester in
community college.
“I always get slightly emotional when
it’s nighttime and I see that blue cross atop
Methodist Dallas,” she says. “
Thank you
is
not big enough for saving my life.”
Cassidy Smith (left) is thankful for her mom,
Belinda, and other family members who supported
her throughout her recovery from traumatic injuries
sustained in a car wreck. “I learned how loved I
was,” Cassidy says.
After a serious car accident, then-19-year-old Cassidy
Smith faced multiple fractures and more than a dozen
surgeries. Fortunately, her doctors and nurses at
Methodist Dallas helped keep her spirits high.
12
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
•
❁
Summer 2015
“I’ve never been into school spirit, but I definitely
have hospital spirit. Go, Team Methodist!”
— Cassidy Smith
— Continued from page 11