A HOPE FOR A SECOND CHANCE
A patient’s holiday hospital experience turned into a renewed chance at life
Susan Bailey has worked in health care over the last three decades, starting as a critical care nurse before becoming a chief executive officer at several hospitals across the U.S. But in November 2020, the roles reversed.
To this day, she doesn’t remember the helicopter ride that took her to a hospital after her traumatic brain injury in South Florida. Despite two CT scans, care providers initially missed an aneurysm. She consulted a second neurosurgeon, who discovered that she did in fact suffer an aneurysm, in addition to a skull fracture, lacerations and hemorrhaging.
Despite the diagnostics showing aneurysm, the second neurosurgeon told Bailey she was OK. When she asked him what her chance of blood vessel rupture was, he gave her a low percentage — just 1% in five years. Not liking those odds, Bailey wanted to connect with a brain aneurysm specialist.
Susan Bailey with Brian Hoh, M.D., chair of the Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery at the UF College of Medicine.
Through a series of connections between her family and the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, Bailey was introduced to Brian L. Hoh, M.D., M.B.A., FACS, FAHA, FAANS. Hoh, who serves as chair of the Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery at the UF College of Medicine, is also on the Medical Advisory Board at the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.
She contacted Hoh’s office on a Wednesday. By the following Monday, she was scheduled for her consultation. She remembers how he reassured her during that consultation, noting that he spends his life focusing on aneurysm research and care.
Hoh reviewed her scans and showed her where she had bled. Thanks to his expertise, he recognized the severity of the situation. He noted that Bailey was characterized as a misdiagnosis, and that many patients don’t survive. She needed to go to the OR immediately.
Seventeen days after her collapse, Bailey was preparing for an operation more than 250 miles from her home.
“I walked around from Nov. 3 and bled until he did my surgery on Nov. 20,” Bailey said. “I’m very, very fortunate.”
She remembers going into the OR hoping to live, but unsure of her outcome.
As uncertainty mounted, Bailey found comfort from the OR team. The chief anesthesiologist gathered his colleagues for the surgical timeout, which ended with every team member meeting Bailey and explaining their role in her surgery. She said that experience in the OR before surgery really grounded her, and it’s something she will never forget.
“They were so professional and caring, and that really impressed me,” she said. “I even had the chance to thank them before going under. I was in another zone, and do you know what they said to me? ‘We got you. We got you.’”
On Nov. 27, 2020, the day after Thanksgiving, Bailey was discharged from the UF Health Neuromedicine Hospital. Back home in South Florida, she turned her sights toward recovery.
“People are going to look at you and think, ‘Oh, she looks fine. There’s nothing wrong with her,’” she explained. “What you are going to find out is that you will never be the same. That has really helped me a lot.”
Susan thinks about three questions every day: Why am I here? What is my purpose? How can I give back? She believes her primary purpose is to work with aneurysm survivors.
She can travel for work without limitations, and only has a couple of long-term side effects. While she still experiences some sensory loss — taste and smell — she wants to give people the hope they need after suffering traumatic brain injury.
“Initially, you don’t know after you survive, after the surgery, how much you will have to deal with,” she said. “The magnitude of recovery is huge, but I am forever indebted to Dr. Hoh and his team.”
Bailey last visited UF Health and Hoh in September. She said she will always feel a bond with him because ”he went into my brain, my very being.”
“I’m very lucky that I have recovered,” she said. “If I hadn’t been connected to the University of Florida and Dr. Hoh, I probably would not be here.”
Many other patients and families like the Baileys spend the holidays in the hospital. This season, the UF Health Office of Development is inviting friends and community partners to spread a message of joy to patients and staff members.
Entering its fifth year, the “Give Hope. Spread Joy.” giving campaign encourages donors to give in support of the most critical needs of the hospital, while also providing a message of hope to those at UF Health this holiday season. The campaign runs throughout December. Keep an eye out for those special messages throughout patient care areas.
Visit Giving.UFHealth.org/GiveHope to learn more about this year’s campaign.
