DUSTIN STRELSKY, AGE 13
to finish the bowel surgery. The
following week, Chief of the Division
of Dentistry and oral and maxillofacial
surgeon Lance Read, DDS, repaired
Dustin’s jaw. Finally, two weeks after
the traumatic accident, Dr. Rahm
and Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery
Theodore J. Spinks, MD, fused most
of Dustin’s lower spine. The team
repaired significant damage to Dustin’s
young body during the almost twomonth stay at Scott & White’s Temple
hospital, but he remains paralyzed
below the waist.
Although Dustin is now in a
wheelchair, his spirit is indomitable,
says his mother, Jennifer Strelsky,
who along with her daughter, Katlynn
Brooke, also was injured in the
accident.“We were very blessed
to be close enough to Scott & White
to be able to get the kids there,”
says Mrs. Strelsky. “Dustin is playing
tennis again. He is very active, very
independent, and he’s always happy.”
After a serious automobile accident
in early 2010, 13-year-old Dustin
Strelsky of Rockdale, Texas, is not just
alive, he’s thriving. He had sustained
massive injuries that included neck
and spine trauma, a crushed abdomen,
and a fractured mandible that required
the integrated emergency, surgical,
and rehabilitative expertise of Scott
& White Healthcare.
coordinated Dustin’s care, which
required five surgeries. Immediately
after the accident, trauma surgeons
performed exploratory bowel and
partial intestinal surgery to control
life-threatening bleeding. Next,
orthopedic surgeons led by spine
surgeon Mark D. Rahm, MD, fused
the part of Dustin's spine that supports
his neck to help stabilize him.
“Dustin’s injuries were pretty
catastrophic,” says Dr. Little, who
After Dustin’s vital signs improved,
Dr. Little led a pediatric surgery team
“Dustin’s case illustrates the
advantages of Scott & White’s
approach to integrated care,”
says Dr. Little. “He has been quite
an inspiration to us all. Taking care
of a patient like Dustin helps us to
provide better care for other children.
When you see someone with that kind
of spirit in spite of the limitations he
now has, you feel more energized
to care for others.”
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