Thank you.
Taken from Erie Times News, February 10, 2014, Letters to the Editor
Pleasant Ridge East, others praised
My daughter was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident on June 26. When I was called to her bedside at UPMC Hamot, my first thought was one of disbelief. That quiet, badly swollen figure couldn't possibly be my beautiful Jeanne! But it was.
She spent two weeks in the trauma center there, still unconscious, unresponsive, unaware of her family in the waiting room, day after day, hour after hour, waiting, praying for some sign of recovery. She had so many injuries, supported by splints, steel bars, a breathing apparatus, etc.
The fourth day, the doctor told us that because she seemed to be breathing a little on her own, they would remove the machine and insert a tracheotomy tube to support her respirations. We were given many answers to our questions, the main one being, "will she make it?" Yes, they assured us, but it will take time. She was in the trauma center for two weeks. She was then transferred to Select Specialty Hospital for further treatment and therapy.
It was there that she "woke up." Her eyes were open and she responded to verbal commands, which we were assured meant that she would eventually be able to respond to her anxious family. She was then transferred to Pleasant Ridge Manor-East. The entire staff at that facility welcomed her and the challenge of getting her back to health.
While she was there, she responded to the care and love she received. The "trach tube" and the big steel pelvis splint were removed. Then the serious therapy began. She spent four months with the love and guidance of the entire staff. She was on the second floor, but the first time she was up and walking with a walker, the entire place cheered.
I can never hope to express my feelings as a mother when she first called me by name, and about all the many steps to full recovery she has taken since. But Pleasant Ridge Manor will always get my wholehearted recommendation to anyone who may be in need of therapeutic care or even long-term care.
There have been a lot of rumors about closing Pleasant Ridge Manor-East. I can only say, why? Bring it up to code. It is already bright, clean and with a caring staff and administration.
A. Sperdutoî¸Erie
