Do you believe in miracles? Jamie Whimore is recovering at home after her car accident. Her spirits are good. Read the attached stories and look at the attached photographs of her accident to see the full extent of this miracle. We'll keep you updated with her progress.
August 2, 2003 e-mail to Arkansas Jrs. players & parents:
Jamie Whitmore, a member of last season's 16s team, and a rising junior at Valley View High School, had a serious car accident late Saturday night and is currently hospitalized at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. Her condition is stable and improving.
Traveling south on U.S. Highway 63, Jamie apparently lost control of her vehicle, which proceeded to roll over multiple times. She was ejected from the vehicle, then apparently traveled airborne 100-150 feet before landing in the middle of the northbound lanes. A northbound motorist saw the accident and blocked traffic until the police and ambulance arrived. She was treated initially at Regional Medical Center and was airlifted to Children's Hospital.
Her injury list is lengthy, the most dangerous being a broken right leg (femur). Surgery was performed this morning, where the doctors placed a steel rod in her leg and pins in her hip. Her right ankle was also severely fractured and is in a traditional cast. Her left elbow was apparently crushed, but surgery was delayed until her leg injury is stabilized. She has a couple of staples in her left lower back, from a substantial wound. One of her lungs also sustained a contusion from the impact. Due to the multitude of injuries, she was unable to receive much pain medication until she was fully evaluated.
We were able to visit with her briefly at the hospital this afternoon. Given the serious circumstances, Jamie looked amazingly good. She awoke for a few minutes and was her usually cheerful self. She did not sustain a serious head injury and has a good recollection of the accident. The length of her stay at Children's Hospital will probably be determined over the next couple of days.
You'll be pleased to know that Jamie Whitmore has received some good reports the past couple of days. She is scheduled to go home in the next couple of days, but will be returning for some additional surgery and/or checkups as needed.
The Whitmore family certainly appreciates the outpouring of support from her volleyball family. I know this accident hit home with most of the parents who fear that late-night phone call from a state trooper saying their child has been involved in a car accident.
I'll forward you the comments from her sister Stephanie and dad Steve. Keep the entire Whitmore family in your prayers!
Joe
August 6, 2003 Update:
Please continue to keep Jamie Whitmore and the entire Whitmore family in your prayers. Jamie had a little setback today as a result of the variety of internal injuries she sustained in her accident. She'll stay in the hospital until her hemocrit level stabilizes--but they hope to get her dismissed on Thursday.
For those of us who don't work in health care, the Hematocrit (HCT, packed cell volume, PCV)test measures the amount of space (volume) red blood cells occupy in the blood. The value is given as a percentage of red blood cells in a volume of blood. For example, a hematocrit of 38 means that 38% of the blood's volume is composed of red cells. Normal range for her is about 37-47%. (Webmd.com)
Her oxygen saturation problems are likely due to the bruise on her lung. The transfer issue her Mom mentions is associated with moving her around a bit. With her left elbow in a cast, and her right foot in a cast, and her right leg stiff from the steel rod in her leg...moving around is probably a big challenge.
Here's Johnna (Mom)Whitmore's comments tonight:
Joe and Joanie,
Hello one more time from the hospital. Wednesday night and we are still here. Jamie is doing better as far as 02 sats breathing better and keeping sats above 90 without oxygen so thats a plus. X-rays on lungs today showed improvement. What kept us here was her blood hemocrit levels again. They had dropped to 24.8 so she had to have another blood transfusion late this afternoon. Hopefully this will be the last one. Transfers are going better not perfect yet but getting there. She's getting a little crabby at times especially when I forget to hold her arm just right. Hopefully we will get to go home tommorrow. keep you posted to let everyone know. Jamie says hope to see you guys soon.
Johnna
August 7, 2003 update:
Jamie Whitmore is headed home today! Here's the word from the Whitmore family:
Joe,
Wasn't sure if my last email went through becasue I was knocked off the internet right about the time I sent the email. yeah!!! We get to go home this morning when all paperwork is completed. She is more her normal self staying on the internet for 2 hours without falling asleep and she even is eating breakfast this am. Last night she sent me out at 11:00 to get a Mcdonalds cheeseburger and some french fries which she ate about half so that is good. Please let everyone know we are headed home and everyone is welcome to see Jamie anytime starting Friday. That will give us time to orient to the house and figure out our strategy for comfort. Thanks for all your support and keeping everyone informed. We love each and eveyone from our volleyball family and their support is remarkable.
