UW Medicine - Harborview Medical Center: Patient Stories

"Being in a hospital in any situation is a traumatic event but having Harborview take care of my body, mind and spirit really was amazing. All I know is that Harborview saved my life."
~ Layla Bush, gun shot wound survivor

Medical Miracles at Harborview
Seattle Metropolitan Magazine

Burn Center: Patient Stories

One minute, 2-year-old Brady O'Brien was playing in his backyard. The next minute, the Idaho toddler had tripped and fallen into a campfire. Complete Story (PDF)
In November 2004, a dog bit Judy Otteson on the right hand, between her thumb and index finger. The bite, which bled profusely, was not even half an inch long. Otteson quickly rinsed the cut in water, dried it and “slapped a Band Aid on it.” Complete story (PDF)
The U.S. Forest Service representative said her son, Matt Ramige, a forest service scientist, had been on a small plane that was lost in the mountains near Glacier National Park in Montana. Complete story (PDF)

Trauma Center: Patient Stories

The call that came to Josie's parents at 4 a.m. in the winter of 2005 is every parent's worst nightmare. "Paramedics were taking her to Harborview with a severe head injury." Complete Story (PDF)
Jenna Otter, 18, carefully planned her high school graduation trip, right down to the trails she and her father, Johan, would hike in Glacier National Park in Montana. Early one August morning, the father and daughter set out on Grinnell Glacier Trail. Complete story (PDF)
Photojournalist Betty Udesen had no idea how deep the puncture had gone, how infected it would become or how close she would come to losing her leg. Complete story (PDF)

Neurosciences: Patient Stories

A local physician discovered what looked like a tumor on Pam Nelson's spine. A few phone calls later, she was under the care of a team at Harborview, led by two internationally renowned physicians. Complete Story (PDF)
Gloria Jiminez and Luis Francisco Espinoza knew something was wrong with their 3-year-old Morelia when she suddenly became very quiet. “We tried to make her talk, but she wouldn’t answer,” said Espinoza, 35, of Wenatchee. Complete story (PDF)
Live-saving brain surgeries for Courtney McGrath and Lynda Gartland, Complete Stories (PDF)

Center for Advanced Reconstruction and Rehabilitation (CARER): Patient Stories

Adrian had been experiencing fatigue, recurring headaches, short-term memory difficulties and concentration problems. Complete story (PDF)
As Charity Eller sat next to her friend Barnaby Craig’s bed in the intensive care unit, he asked the question she didn’t want to hear. “Can I walk?” Complete story (PDF)
When General Shalikashvili first arrived, Missy Armstrong, inpatient rehabilitation therapy manager, noticed he was fatigued from the stroke and slept for much of the first three weeks, which made establishing a therapy schedule difficult. Complete story(PDF)

AIDS / STD: Patient Stories

Since Diane's diagnosis, nearly all of her care has been coordinated through Harborview's Madison Clinic, which provides holistic medical care and social services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Complete story (PDF)
In 1985, Eric Jean Rocker was the only female fisherman with her own fishing vessel in Dutch Harbor and Kodiak, Alaska. A substitute teacher, she fished in her off hours, her hardy Staffordshire bull terrier by her side. On a visit to her physician, the doctor discovered an infection. Complete story (PDF)
In 1996, Charlie Curvin learned something he already suspected. He was HIV positive. “Once my doctor mentioned I should be tested, I thought I might be,” Curvin said. “Even when she said I was positive, I knew it.” Complete story (PDF)

Center for Healthcare Improvement for Addictions, Mental Illness and Medically Vulnerable Populations (CHAMMP): Patient Stories

Harborview's Pioneer Square Clinic has served as Stephen Hanna's lifeline for the past 20 years. "If you get sick, you go to the Pioneer Square Clinic, and they take care of you," Stephen said. Complete story (PDF)
Pursuing her life’s work while dealing with her health issues has been challenging for Kim Nelson. Because she uses many power tools and fine tools in her work – she has 22 tools for sanding alone – she could not take the medication she needed to manage her depression. Complete story (PDF)
When Calvin Rock arrived in Seattle five years ago, after a four-and-a-half day bus ride from Morgan City, Louisiana, downtown was cold and snowy. The mission he found was full, and he had to sleep on the streets for a week. Complete story (PDF)

Harborview Medical Center: Patient Stories

Burn Center: Patient Stories

One minute, 2-year-old Brady O'Brien was playing in his backyard. The next minute, the Idaho toddler had tripped and fallen into a campfire. Complete Story (PDF)

In November 2004, a dog bit Judy Otteson on the right hand, between her thumb and index finger. The bite, which bled profusely, was not even half an inch long. Otteson quickly rinsed the cut in water, dried it and “slapped a Band Aid on it.” Complete story (PDF)

The U.S. Forest Service representative said her son, Matt Ramige, a forest service scientist, had been on a small plane that was lost in the mountains near Glacier National Park in Montana. Complete story (PDF)

Trauma Center: Patient Stories

The call that came to Josie's parents at 4 a.m. in the winter of 2005 is every parent's worst nightmare. "Paramedics were taking her to Harborview with a severe head injury." Complete Story (PDF)

Jenna Otter, 18, carefully planned her high school graduation trip, right down to the trails she and her father, Johan, would hike in Glacier National Park in Montana. Early one August morning, the father and daughter set out on Grinnell Glacier Trail. Complete story (PDF)

Photojournalist Betty Udesen had no idea how deep the puncture had gone, how infected it would become or how close she would come to losing her leg. Complete story (PDF)

Neurosciences: Patient Stories

A local physician discovered what looked like a tumor on Pam Nelson's spine. A few phone calls later, she was under the care of a team at Harborview, led by two internationally renowned physicians. Complete Story (PDF)

Gloria Jiminez and Luis Francisco Espinoza knew something was wrong with their 3-year-old Morelia when she suddenly became very quiet. “We tried to make her talk, but she wouldn’t answer,” said Espinoza, 35, of Wenatchee. Complete story (PDF)

Live-saving brain surgeries for Courtney McGrath and Lynda Gartland, Complete Stories (PDF)

Center for Advanced Reconstruction and Rehabilitation (CARER): Patient Stories

Adrian had been experiencing fatigue, recurring headaches, short-term memory difficulties and concentration problems. Complete story (PDF)

As Charity Eller sat next to her friend Barnaby Craig’s bed in the intensive care unit, he asked the question she didn’t want to hear. “Can I walk?” Complete story (PDF)

When General Shalikashvili first arrived, Missy Armstrong, inpatient rehabilitation therapy manager, noticed he was fatigued from the stroke and slept for much of the first three weeks, which made establishing a therapy schedule difficult. Complete story(PDF)

AIDS / STD: Patient Stories

Since Diane's diagnosis, nearly all of her care has been coordinated through Harborview's Madison Clinic, which provides holistic medical care and social services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Complete story (PDF)

In 1996, Charlie Curvin learned something he already suspected. He was HIV positive. “Once my doctor mentioned I should be tested, I thought I might be,” Curvin said. “Even when she said I was positive, I knew it.” Complete story (PDF)

Center for Healthcare Improvement for Addictions, Mental Illness and Medically Vulnerable Populations (CHAMMP): Patient Stories

Harborview's Pioneer Square Clinic has served as Stephen Hanna's lifeline for the past 20 years. "If you get sick, you go to the Pioneer Square Clinic, and they take care of you," Stephen said. Complete story (PDF)

Pursuing her life’s work while dealing with her health issues has been challenging for Kim Nelson. Because she uses many power tools and fine tools in her work – she has 22 tools for sanding alone – she could not take the medication she needed to manage her depression. Complete story (PDF)

When Calvin Rock arrived in Seattle five years ago, after a four-and-a-half day bus ride from Morgan City, Louisiana, downtown was cold and snowy. The mission he found was full, and he had to sleep on the streets for a week. Complete story (PDF)