“We use techniques that are different and unique, and we give the patient hope,” Dr. Velamuri said. “We focus not only on life but function. It’s not just about the care we provide while they’re in the hospital, it’s about seeing them leave functioning as close to possible as they were before they were injured.” Dr. Ram Velamuri said the burn center’s interdisciplinary approach helps patients like Samir conquer their injuries. “We use techniques that are different and unique, and we give the patient hope,” he said. “It’s not just about the care we provide while they’re in the hospital, it’s about seeing them leave functioning as close to possible as they were before they were injured.” For Samir’s wife Amy, that approach was a blessing, starting from day one. “Dr. Hickerson gave me a hug and told me, ‘I’ll save your husband because you’re like my daughter. I promise you, just give me time.’ And he did. It’s an amazing hospital.” It continued with Samir’s physical therapy, as Sandra Fletchall, OTR/L, CHT, MPA, FAOTA, burn rehabilitation manager, helped rebuild his strength and give him new ways to get dressed, brush his teeth, eat, get in and out of rooms and cars. “People think, ‘I can’t do it the way I used to, so I can’t do it at all,’” Fletchall said. “But it doesn’t mean it’s the end, it just means it’s different, and we have to figure out the way to move forward and the best technique for them to do it.” Fletchall said it’s amazing that Samir not only survived and kept his legs but, “He’s not going into a nursing home. He’s going home.” And as that joyful occasion arrived and Samir said goodbye to a burn center team that had come to feel like family, he knew exactly what he was most excited to get home to. He has a cat who he rescued as a kitten. Samir found the tiny animal wandering in a busy street, its life perched precariously in the hands of the drivers speeding by. He waded into the fray, scooped up the trembling animal and carried him to safety. He’s cared for him ever since, helping him grow from a fragile kitten to thriving cat. Samir named him Simba. In Swahili, it means Lion. Burn Rehabilitation Manager Sandra Fletchall gives patients a new way to be independent after serious injuries: “People think, ‘I can’t do it the way I used to, so I can’t do it at all.’ But it doesn’t mean it’s the end, it just means it’s different, and we have to figure out the way to move forward and the best technique for them to do it.” regionalonehealth.org/foundation/change-a-life-donate-today/ 31
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