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Lynn Wagner was in the process of moving from Goochland to Henrico County in March 2017 when she set out one evening to visit a friend.
Near the Oilville exit on Interstate 64, she encountered a traffic snarl and apparent accident, and noticed that a co-worker of hers had stopped at the scene to help.
Knowing how Goochland County’s sprawling size can hamper rescue units, Wagner went to join her colleague and fellow nurse, Belinda Bowles.
“It’s not a seven-minute response time in Goochland. If we see an accident, we always stop,” Wagner says.
The scene was grim: a car forced off the road by a tractor-trailer had flipped multiple times, and a young woman was lying underneath. Her sister, the passenger, had been able to roll the car off her, but she had severe injuries -- including burns to her face from dripping hot oil.
Together Wagner and Bowles -- the first medical personnel on the scene -- helped the critically injured young woman and her sister, monitoring vital signs and contacting their mother on the phone. After EMTs arrived, they went on their way.
But Wagner says she could not sleep at all that night, reliving the scene and the girl’s horrific injuries, and it was not until she and Bowles called the mother next day that she could relax in the least. They learned that the driver was hanging on and had at least a slim chance of survival.
The entire village
One year later, on April 28, Wagner and Bowles joined more than 50 other first responders, medical professionals and supporters honored at the 10th Annual Shining Knight Gala for the part they played in Malina Richardson’s rescue and recovery.
The annual gathering of care providers and community partners is designed not only to celebrate a life saved and the heroes who made it possible, but also to provide an in-depth look at the teamwork that goes into giving trauma survivors a second chance at life.
The number of those “Shining Knights” adds up quickly over the course of treatment and recovery, explains Dr. Michel B. Aboutanos, medical director of VCU Trauma Center.
“When someone is injured you think of doctors and nurses, but [the gala] shows the entire village,” Aboutanos says. “Who made the 911 call; who transported [the survivor]. Technicians, radiologists, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, the chaplain, dog therapy. Doctors from the ICU and the burn unit. Everyone involved with one patient from pre-event to post-event.”
At the April 28 gala, videos were used to tell the story of Malina’s journey to recovery, both through the eyes of her family and the eyes of many who helped her along the way. Among the Henrico residents featured in the video was Clark Barnes, part of the crew from Goochland Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services that escorted Malina to Radford University for her graduation.
When he heard that Richardson needed ambulance transport to Radford and required monitoring on the trip, Barnes did not hesitate to take on the task.
“I have daughters of my own, and there’s things about life you don’t miss,” he says. “Like graduations and weddings.”
An idea embraced
Since founding the gala a decade ago, Aboutanos has seen it grow from a turnout of less than 100 in its first year to more than 500. It quickly outgrew the Jefferson Hotel and is now held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center; funds raised from the event now benefit more than a dozen Injury and Violence Prevention Programs offered through VCU Medical Center.
“Now everyone wants to be involved,” the Henrico physician says. “My goal is to reach a thousand [in attendance].”
Aboutanos conceived of the idea while pursuing his master of public health at Johns Hopkins University, where a similar gala was held celebrating the efforts of the university’s trauma center staff. When he returned to VCU, where he had done his medical school residency, he introduced the idea to Richmond. готовые казино
Preventing senseless loss
Originally from Lebanon, Aboutanos spent many of his formative years living in a war zone; at least two of his childhood friends did not survive into adulthood.
As a result, he was driven from an early age to become not only a doctor and healer, but an activist -- someone who strives to head off the violence and trauma that cause injuries in the first place. He wrote his master’s thesis on the topic of injury and violence prevention and says the question that drives him constantly is, “How can we prevent senseless loss of life?”
For the answer, one need only look at the many causes and IVPP initiatives that have benefited from gala proceeds -- from fire prevention education and Project EMPOWER, which seeks to reduce domestic violence and sexual assault, to alcohol and drug education, as well as screening and treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Thanks to an “incredibly supportive and forward-thinking” administration at VCU Health, Aboutanos says, care providers are beginning to expand their healing roles and become activists for reducing violence and trauma.
“There is more talk about prevention,” Aboutanos says. “There is more money for prevention, and not just intervention.”
The gala has also increased awareness of prevention programs in the community. As attendance has grown and new “featured patients” are showcased each year, the gala brings in new audiences: the patient’s friends and family. And it’s not unusual for those audience members and featured patients to be inspired to join the ranks of activists themselves.
Past featured patients have included, for instance, the late Bette Wallerstein, who was critically injured in a car crash -- but lived many extra years thanks to her caregivers. Her son, Judge Richard Wallerstein, a circuit court judge in Henrico, now is involved with a program designed to reduce alcohol abuse in youth.
Susan Watkins, the mother of an EMT who was hit by a car while riding his motorbike home from a shift, is now active in the Trauma Survivors Network and trauma system committees. Tyler Hancock, who sustained life-threatening injuries in 2007 after trying to rescue his dog from traffic, has attended and supported the gala every year since its inception with his wife, Brenda. The two served as honorary chairs this year, and Brenda participates in Project IMPACT, a safe driving initiative.
At each of the galas, Aboutanos says, “the most we can bring on stage and tell the story is about 50 – [although] there may be 200 or more involved.
“But one by one, people begin to see the magnitude. Not just who, but how they are making a difference.”
The impact never fails to be a powerful one, he says. “Everyone is always flabbergasted to hear the stories. One person with an ordinary life, taken out of that ordinary life -- and then put back into society.
“It’s just a phenomenal night.”
To view videos from the gala, visit YouTube and search for "2018 Shining Knight Gala."
