Triumph through trauma , slowly but surely .
“ Do you know Zach Green ? Does he live with you ?”
When Cathy Green received a phone call from the trauma team at AHN Allegheny General Hospital ( AGH ) at 9:15 p . m . on the evening of March 2 , 2022 , she was in disbelief . “ At first I thought it was some kind of prank . I thought it was a scam .”
Her son Zach had been in a motorcycle accident , and was transported by LifeFlight to Allegheny General Hospital . Shortly after arriving , AHN Dr . Jennifer Chen went out to greet Cathy and her husband in the trauma unit . “ I ’ m a nurse ,” Cathy said . “ So I just wanted it straight . I asked if Zach would make it through the night . At that time , Dr . Chen wasn ’ t sure .”
There were a variety of life-threatening injuries contributing to Zach ’ s critical condition — an imploded kidney , a stage IV liver laceration , a collapsed lung , a broken femur , several broken ribs , pelvic fractures , and a brain injury . In addition , Zach was bleeding profusely .
“ The most important thing in delivering high-quality trauma care is an inclusive and holistic approach . It ’ s not just fixing the injuries or illness in the short term , but thinking about the long-term impact on the patient and their family ,” said AHN Dr . Allan Philp .
As an EMT and firefighter , Zach loved helping others and had built strong connections with other first responders across the surrounding counties . So it came as no surprise that the LifeFlight nurse who cared for Zach was someone he knew .
“ The AGH trauma team saves lives . They saved my son ’ s life from death ’ s door .”
— CATHY GREEN
“ She kept me alive .” Zach doesn ’ t remember anything about his accident or the events leading up to it . But instead of looking behind , he ’ s focused on his recovery . “ Family motivates me to keep moving forward . I never dreamed I ’ d be walking down this road . It ’ s getting better each day , slowly , but better each day .”
Sheila Jordan , Cathy ’ s sister , was one of the first family members by Zach ’ s side . And his family has been by his side every step of the way , leaning on prayer and their faith to keep going , along with support from Zach ’ s care team .
“ They treated him like a star , and they all rooted for him . The trauma team as a whole is phenomenal . They think of everything and they ’ re always a step ahead . They ’ re so positive and innovative ,” Cathy recalls .
These days , Zach is walking , talking , and eating on his own . His recovery will take at least a full year , and he looks forward to returning to work at that time . He may have lost some memories , but his sense of wit and sense of humor is stronger than ever .
As for riding a motorcycle again ? “ No , he ’ s not riding again ,” Cathy said . For Zach , the answer is , “ We ’ ll see .”