Beth McCrary
“I am so thankful to everyone at Lafayette Regional for helping make such a worrisome time less stressful, and for the exceptional care DeHaven received,” says Lexington resident, Beth McCrary. “He could not have gotten better care anywhere else!”
It was a Friday afternoon in June when Beth’s 17-year-old son, DeHaven, came home from football practice, his leg slightly swollen with some redness. Beth assumed he had gotten an extra hard hit during practice. By Sunday, however, the redness had spread, and DeHaven was running a temperature. His father Jim took him to Lafayette Regional’s Emergency Room, where the attending provider diagnosed an infection and prescribed an antibiotic with instructions to follow up at the Lexington Medical Clinic a few days later.
By Tuesday, when DeHaven saw Tiffanny Blythe, DO, at the Clinic, the redness had spread from his knee all the way up his thigh and the pain had gotten much worse. Dr. Blythe quickly diagnosed DeHaven with MRSA, (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), a bacterial infection that is resistant to numerous antibiotics. She sent him immediately to Lafayette Regional, where he was admitted and prepared for surgery. Then early Wednesday morning, orthopedic surgeon, Clinton F. Pickett, DO, operated on DeHaven’s leg, excising the infection. Two days later, he performed the second surgery needed to successfully eradicate the infection.
“Everyone at the hospital was accommodating, helpful, compassionate, and kind,” Beth says. “There was never a moment when we were left wondering what was going on or what was going to happen. Our healthcare professionals communicated with us all the information they had about what was happening and what was going to happen in regards to DeHaven’s treatment and recovery.”
Beth maintains it was Lafayette Regional’s unique combination of treatment excellence and compassionate care that made DeHaven’s stay the most positive experience possible given the circumstances.
“We were so impressed by the level of care DeHaven received. His every need was seen to during his stay. He never had to wait more than a few seconds for a nurse to respond to his page,” she says. “And, all of the nurses were so personable. They weren’t just about the business of nursing; they talked to DeHaven, Jim, and me, and were genuinely interested in us as more than just patients.
“Everyone there treated us as though we were very special,” she adds. “I never stepped off the elevator onto DeHaven’s floor without someone greeting me and asking me if there was anything they could do for me. I always felt welcome. They took a very scary situation and made it much better.”
Today, DeHaven is fully recovered and back at football, thanks to the quick attention and treatment from his doctors and the excellent and personalized hospital care he received — all right in his hometown.