One Hero Deserves Another: Baptist Memorial Health Care Steps Up to Help Hit & Run Victim
My previous post about Shannon Parker’s hit and run accident (where you can find more detail here) has received traffic and attention, and thankfully, there are many wonderful Good Samaritans out there who are stepping up to help this woman. The tragic irony in all of this is that she pushed her friend out of the vehicle’s path and was hit square on by a hit and run driver with a past. Such contrasting stories, these two women (but that’s another story).
One of the Good Samaritans stepping up in a big way is Baptist Memorial Health Care who is donating services to help Shannon get back on her feet—literally. As I write this post, she is still at The MED, still cannot walk and needs round the clock help with day to day activities. She requires two shots daily to manage her blood count to dissolve a blood clot in her lung from the accident. Recently without a job, Shannon has no insurance and without assistance, would be in a desperate situation. Her friends are raising money for her, but anyone who has had multiple surgeries and hospital stays can tell you, it costs a lot to have surgeries. The MED is a wonderful resource to our community and obviously a much needed trauma center, and they took good care of Shannon. But when it’s time to be released, and you can’t walk or take care of yourself, where do you go? Thanks to Baptist Memorial Health Care and their team, Shannon is going to be in great hands. Baptist heard her story and responded.
“Our calling is to help heal the sick, and Shannon is the real hero here,” said Stephen Reynolds, President and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care. “We just feel it’s the right thing to do, and we admire her courage to save someone else’s life and risk her own. That is a selfless person,” he said.
Baptist is in the process of working with the MED to transition Shannon to a Baptist facility pending an assessment of what she needs in the next few weeks. The hope is with Baptist working with her, the rehab will be fast, and the care will be excellent. My mom was in the Baptist Rehabilitation-Germantown center last year, and I can tell you, it was an exceptional experience in every way. Recently, my husband had rotator cuff surgery there, and they could not have been any better. Baptist Memorial Health Care is committed to excellent patient care. Not only do they care for patients, but the whole family. So, as a recent consumer of Baptist’s services, I’m qualified to weigh in on this (and NO, BMH is not paying me). Additionally, my relationship with Baptist goes back to when Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto was built because I worked for the architectural firm that designed all the BMH hospitals and POBs (Physician Office Buildings). I have sat next to Steve Reynolds at Ducks Unlimited dinners and watched as BMH has been a huge community supporter in so many ways. They are just good people—that’s the bottom line. When we talked about Shannon and how we could help her, the words out of one executive’s mouth was “it’s the right thing to do.” That’s the most refreshing story I’ve heard, and we need more of this in Memphis. THANK YOU Baptist and your incredible team. We know you’ll be taking good care of Shannon, and we’ll be blogging about her recovery.
For updates, follow Baptist on Twitter and Facebook.
Media Statement:
The media has been contacting Shannon about the specifics of the accident, and at this time, Shannon has no comment as she is focused 100 % on her complete recovery. We respectfully request that the media give Shannon the time and space she needs to focus on being positive as she is in tremendous pain. She has asked that all media inquiries be directed to Howell Marketing.
This post by Amy Howell is the second in a blog series.
