Kim Thompson and her family recently faced a terrifying experience that could have ended very differently if not for quick thinking, essential medical equipment, and a bit of fortunate timing.
On a quiet Sunday morning, Kim and her husband Derek had planned to visit her parents for brunch. But around 10:30 a.m., her mother called to cancel. Her father, Jack Praught, had been experiencing severe abdominal pain radiating into his shoulder since early that morning.
Something didn’t feel right. Kim urged her mom to take him to Prince County Hospital, despite his inclination to wait it out. Thankfully, her mom insisted. “Mom got ready and basically gave Dad no choice,” said Kim, “and he didn’t resist as the pain was getting progressively worse!”
In the Emergency Department, the staff moved quickly. In Kim’s words, the “doctor on duty (Dr. Everett Zdrill) was absolutely on point and very professional,” ordering a CT scan, Ultrasound, X-Ray and blood work. The scans and tests revealed air in the abdomen, but the cause was unclear. Meanwhile, Jack’s pain became unbearable. Doctors determined that emergency exploratory surgery was necessary.
A visiting surgeon, Dr. Stephanie Purcell, highly skilled in these specific cases, was available. Within the hour, surgery began, and just 45 minutes later, the family got the news… Kim’s father had suffered a perforated small intestine due to a ruptured ulcer, but it had been repaired successfully.
Dr. Purcell told the family, “Good thing you came in, because if you didn’t…you wouldn’t be sitting here today.”
Now, a few months later, Jack is recovering well, and the Praught/MacCormack family is deeply grateful to the entire Prince County Hospital team for their exceptional care.
Jack was saved in part by your support of the PCH Foundation. Your past gifts mean that vital tools like the X-Ray machine, CT scan, Ultrasound and the lab equipment used to help determine Jack’s illness were in place when needed. Your gift today can help fund a new X-Ray Fluoroscopy machine for PCH, and many more essential pieces of technology that help make outcomes like Jack’s possible.
