Тереза Свицер мечтала стать борт-медсестрой, но после семи лет работы она выпала из вертолета во время погрузки пациента. Ее срочно доставили в отделение неотложной помощи с трещинами ребер, переломами костей спины и некоторым повреждением нерва ноги. Врачи говорили Терезе, что она больше никогда не сможет работать.
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For any other patient, this would have been a devastating blow – but the adrenaline junkie from Paris, Illinois in the United States, is no quitter. After a couple of initial speedbumps, Teresa more or less lived in the therapy department, working hard and urging the physiotherapists to push and challenge her.
![Teresa story 3-image Recovered](/globalassets/qbankimages/2023/03/stefan-story-3-image-recovered-2253594b76dcc29ebdd409ba4b0b0b466d9a91.jpg?width=1900)
“Becoming the immobile patient, living life on the other side of the fence, was tough. But after six months and a lot of hard training, I was back in the air again.”
The initial stages of her recovery included a couple of tough lessons about the importance of early mobility. “In the beginning I was reluctant to move because it hurt so much. I didn’t get out of bed soon enough, so I ended up with a pressure injury. Fortunately, it healed quite quickly,” Teresa says.
![Teresa story cloud image](/globalassets/qbankimages/2023/01/teresa-story-cloud-image--22435036655cf029b2db8be55f8081a5dbc6c3.jpg?width=1900)
“I am convinced that my hospital stay and recovery would have been different If I had access to products that help patients stand and get out bed.”
When she went back to flying, Teresa worked for a charitable air ambulance company called Grace on Wings. Then, after many years as a nurse, she joined Arjo in 2008. Today, she is part of the Medical Affairs outcomes team that develops our pressure injury prevention program. “When a colleague told me about Arjo, I realized that this is a company that helps people in situations I have been in myself – both as a caregiver and as an immobilized patient. It’s a perfect fit for me,” Teresa explains
“They say that mobility is life and I know how true that is. I can’t run anymore, but I try to keep up with my three grown kids when we go hiking and biking.”
“Even if I bounced back from the accident, I still have pain every single day. But staying mobile and the feeling that I am helping others keeps me going,” Teresa concludes.