Having a Level One Trauma Center in Memphis saved my life. Everything had to go the way it did in order for me to live. I’m extremely blessed. GEOFFREY YOSTE Geoffrey had a skull fracture and massive brain bleed. He would need a craniotomy to remove a piece of the skull to relieve pressure in the brain. Doctors gave him a 30 percent chance of survival. If he lived, his function could be severely diminished. Family members gathered at the hospital and Virginia’s Memphis home. “We just prayed over him constantly,” she said. It was overwhelming, but the family knew Geoffrey was in good hands. Even though his accident occurred at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and on the day a mass shooting sent numerous patients to the trauma center, his care team never wavered. “It wasn’t chaotic. No one was panicking. There was no drama,” Virginia said. “The doctors and nurses were incredible. They are just angels, every single one of them.” As for Geoffrey, he doesn’t remember much about those early days, but examples of empathy did break through the fog of critical injury. “I do know the nurses were Godsent,” he said. “My brother told me they were changing me, keeping me clean. After being in there a month, I’d grown a beard, and they were careful about keeping stuff off my beard.” Geoffrey’s team also made sure his family had access to pastoral care and frequent updates. Ruth Shumaker, retired director of perioperative services, was instrumental in helping them understand Geoffrey’s prognosis and plan of care. Shumaker used to live across the street from the Yostes and watched the siblings grow up. It added a personal note to her commitment to ensuring every patient receives the highest level of care. For Geoffrey, that care included helping his body heal, and slowly but surely he became more aware and responsive. “For a long time, it was baby steps,” Virginia said. “Then one day I walked in, and he was awake. I go in and start talking real slow: ‘Do – you – know – who – I – am?’ and he says, ‘Virginia, what the heck is wrong with you?’” As Geoffrey healed, the focus shifted to rehabilitation. Like so many things for the Yostes, he was guided by faith and family. Geoffrey was determined to get back to his wife Eryn; their four kids, ages 14 Regional One Health Foundation
17 Publizr Home