My Comeback Story: Linda B.

Back in the summer of 2004, I developed sepsis. I was in St. Joseph's Hospital and not expected to live. However, by the grace of God, I did survive. I was in there for around two weeks. They had run a central line in my left wrist to monitor all my vitals. When they went to take it out, I developed a blood clot in my left thumb, resulting in gangrene to the tip. They wanted to remove my thumb, but I refused when I found out I had the dry kind of gangrene. On my last day in the hospital, a very kind nurse told me about a hand doctor who might be able to save my thumb. I scheduled a visit and saw Dr. Gary Lourie a couple of days later. As he was reading over the notes from my hospital stay, I could tell by the expression on his face that it was serious. However, he decided to try something out first before making a final decision. I was to soak my thumb 3-4 times a day in warm, soapy water, then apply silvadene cream and wrap it in gauze bandages. When I returned to him the following week, I told him I was worried because I was seeing traces of white coming through the nail. He examined it, then quickly left the room. By this time, I was really nervous. When he returned, his whole staff of nurses stood in the doorway looking on. He told me that it was a good sign to see the white coming through the nail. That meant that it was starting to heal. I was told to repeat the procedure on my thumb for another week, then return to see him again. That afternoon, I received a call from his nurse. She asked if I had been curious as to why they were all standing in my doorway. When I answered yes, she said it was because they had never witnessed a miracle like this before. Later on, Dr. Lourie told me the new nail would eventually push the old nail off. When it didn't, he surgically removed it. My left thumb today is shorter than my right thumb, but the good news is that I still have a thumb, thanks in part to Dr. Lourie who decided to try something first before making the fateful decision to completely remove my thumb. Thank you, Dr. Lourie!!