The weekly StoryCorps segment on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition is a highlight for the show’s listeners. Today’s StoryCorps interview was very special to staff at UMMC.

Rick Bounds received a lifesaving liver and kidney transplant here in 2007. Today, he’s a healthy triathlete with four competitions and a 100-mile bike ride to his name. And he serves as a member of the Medical Center’s Patient and Family Partnership Council.

Go to the NPR site to hear or read the conversation between Rick Bounds and Dorothy Biernack, whose husband, Marty, was the organ donor who made it possible for Rick to live. Rick and Dorothy get together several times a year to celebrate Marty’s lifesaving final gift.

Editor’s note: UMMC critical-care nurse Alexander E. Halstead, 24, was among the trained volunteer staff in the medical tent near the finish line of the Boston Marathon April 15, 2013, when two bombs exploded, killing three people and injuring more than 260.  In addition to his detailed account below, you can view his interview on WBAL-TV. 

By Alexander E. Halstead, BSN, RN, CCRN

Clinical Nurse II, Surgical Intensive Care Unit

University of Maryland Medical Center

On April 14, 2013, I hopped onto a northbound plane to return home to Boston to see family and again volunteer my services for one of the biggest events of the year.  I am a marathon nurse.  That doesn’t mean I run the marathon;  I volunteer to provide medical care to runners after they finish the race. This was my fourth consecutive year with the Boston Marathon. I also volunteered for the last two Marine Corps Marathons in Washington, DC.

I grew up in Framingham, Mass., so the Boston Marathon has always been part of my life. I started volunteering while still in nursing school at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. I also worked as an EMT on campus, and in the ER at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Soon after graduating, I moved to Baltimore to embrace an opportunity to work in the Surgical ICU at the University of Maryland Medical Center.  But I always go back to volunteer for the Boston Marathon.

On Sunday, April 14, the day before this year’s marathon, I went out to breakfast with my family, caught up with old friends, and rested up for the exhausting day that was to follow.

Marathon Monday!  I arrived in downtown Boston to prepare for my day.  As in previous years, I spent the morning with my fellow volunteers and some of Boston’s leading sports medicine physicians, who gave us valuable information for treating runners. They explained the treatment protocols and some of the ailments we might come across.

We picked up our marathon jackets and we were dismissed to get lunch.  Boston does marathon medicine right!   The medical tents are massive air-conditioned structures with televisions, hundreds of cots, a laboratory section and multiple other resources.

We prepared our respective sections of the tent to receive runners.   Each section was made up of a physician, a few nurses, a physical therapist, and a few podiatrists –  a truly well-rounded medical team.

The cheering began as the wheelchair winners are the first to cross the finish line, and some of them pass through our tent on their way to the Copley Square Hotel.  Soon after, the men and women elite runners walk through the tent after their amazing feat – usually needing minimal care because they train so well.

At 12:30 p.m., the runners started trickling in as patients.  The high predicted temperature was 54 degrees, so we expected a slow day in the tent.  In my section, we saw runners for a wide range of issues.  Exercise-associated collapse, hypothermia, and dilutional hyponatremia are among the ailments that we frequently see.

At 2:50 p.m., I heard a blast not unlike the mock cannons that are fired every Sunday from Fort McHenry.  Whispers float through the staff in the tent.  Could the sound that we heard be celebratory cannons?  It was Patriots Day, after all. Shortly after, I heard another blast.  I walked over to one of the physicians, who voiced the thought in the back of my head — that it could have been a bomb.

Boston EMS personnel had been stationed in the respiratory care section of the tent, and all of their radios went off simultaneously. Some of them sprinted out of the tent while others stayed and frantically prepared their equipment.  I knew something had to be seriously wrong.   I looked over to the television and saw the blast being covered live.  I immediately took out my phone to call my mom.  When she picked up, I quickly told her, “I am safe. There are bombs in Boston, but I am safe.”  I sent a text to my girlfriend saying, “I am safe.”  After that moment, the phone traffic went dead.  No one in the tent could get calls out.

I discharged as many runners as I could from the tent. I told them that if they could walk, they should get out.

The first victim to come into the tent was an image I would never forget: a young man was wheeled in with both of his legs amputated by the blast. He was awake, and had mere strands of flesh hanging down from both of his legs.   It was surreal. The patients started rushing in, filling every corner of the tent.   All ages were present among the victims. It was mass pandemonium. Triage sections were set up in the tent so that the victims with more severe injuries would be transported first.   A subsection of the tent was assigned as the morgue.

I snapped into gear.  I had the training, and now I just had to use it.  I walked up to one of the victims awaiting transport.  He already had tourniquets on both of his leg amputations, and the bleeding was controlled.  I started an IV and hung fluids.   But what else could I do for this man?  He needed surgery and we could not do that in the tent.  There were four other doctors and nurses around his stretcher, so I stepped back for a moment to collect my thoughts.  Could this all be real? Or was this just a horrible nightmare that I would surface from soon?

A physical therapist in tears approached me. She was extremely upset that none of the runners were being treated for their injuries.  I quickly eyeballed the remaining runners in the tent to make sure they had no life-threatening injuries.

I then moved over to the Level 3 section of the tent.  I found an adolescent girl and her mother who each sustained injuries to both legs.  The girl was panicking that she would lose her legs.  I reassured her.  I started caring for the girl and her mother.  I put in IVs, reviewed their injuries, and splinted their legs for transport.  I even started taking a blood pressure on the mother, when I soon realized that the number is meaningless in the chaos of a mass-casualty incident.

About 25 minutes after the blast, we had all 97 of the blast victims who came through our tent transported to hospitals.  We transferred the remaining runners to Medical Tent B.  Shortly after, the police moved us out of the tent and sectioned the road off as a crime scene.   I heard another bomb go off, but was reassured by another volunteer that it was a controlled detonation by Boston police.

This tragedy, for me, was a major reality check.  It emphasized for me the importance of family, friends, and — most importantly — LIFE.   My heart goes out to the families and the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.  That said, without such a well-trained, organized and dedicated group of first responders that day, there would have been more casualties.   The medical professionals in Medical Tent A, Boston EMS, Boston Police, and a countless number of bystanders saved many lives that day. I am proud to have worked among such a great group of people.  I am proud to be a Boston Marathon Nurse.

To view Alex’s interview on WBAL-TV, follow this link to the WBAL site.

When I first found out that I needed a heart transplant, I didn’t believe it. I was in denial since I was in such good shape all of my life. I hardly even got a cold. I couldn’t believe that my heart was giving out.

Ten years ago after years of being an avid runner, I was growing more and more tired. I went to my general doctor who did an EKG, and he found something abnormal. It was determined that the right electrical node in my heart was not firing correctly, so I had a pacemaker put in. I continued running for the next two years. Then the same problem occurred on the left side of my heart and another pacemaker was put in.

After four years and two pacemakers, my heart started to completely deteriorate. I had an interview with Dr. Erika Feller who determined that I was a transplant candidate. I was added to the transplant waiting list and admitted to UMMC. Throughout the week they had to run tests on me. While at the hospital, I went into cardiac arrest, and I was upgraded to a pump. A couple days later a match was found. I felt great and relieved; it was only five days between the cardiac arrest and the time I got my new heart.

I didn’t wake up initially after the transplant. The toxins in my blood were at such a high level that they brought me into exploratory surgery where they discovered that I also needed my gall bladder removed.

Recovery was pretty good for me. The doctors and staff at UMMC were great. They took good care of me and got me up and walking soon after the surgeries. Two weeks after the transplant I returned home and continued walking around my community. In less than three months after my transplant, I was able to return to work.

It has been six years since my transplant, and I’m able to run again. Every weekend I go walking with the guys in the neighborhood, about 4 to 5 miles. I am also very passionate about sailing. I sail a fair amount and send Dr. Feller a picture of me on my boat every April, which is the anniversary of my transplant.

I would highly recommend that people indicate they want to be organ donors on their driver’s license. Organs are greatly needed, and you may save someone’s life. You never know when tragedy may strike or when your health may deteriorate. But even with a sad tragedy, some good can come out of it. If it had not been for the generosity and foresight of my donor, I probably would not be here.

By Tiesha Dove, CMA

Certified Medical Assistant, The Breast Center

Here at The Breast Center at UMMC, many of our patients come in once a year or so for a screening mammogram and soon receive a letter confirming everything looks normal. But others find themselves dealing with the harsh reality of cancer, and we do our best to care for them throughout their treatment. We always want to help in any way we can, even if it’s just with a smile. Our staff members are supportive of one another as we support patients, and that’s how the Valentine’s Day sock exchange came to be.

Who knew that a simple pair of socks would bring so much happiness? The sock exchange started out as a random act of kindness. I always wear crazy socks because they’re fun and brighten up my day. When my co-worker, Stephanie Jackson, noticed and admired my socks one day, it sparked the idea to spread the joy of crazy socks. On Valentine’s Day.

Just like with a “secret Santa” drawing, everyone in our office drew names and then each bought a pair of crazy socks for the person whose name she drew. We exchanged the socks on Valentine’s Day during our lunch hour, and then we all agreed to wear them the next day, showing them off to our patients and spreading love and unity within our Breast Center community.

And, by the way, we decided that the sock exchange will be an annual event.

Pictured above are, from left to right: Regina Pinkey-Gillespie, Stephanie Jackson, Danita Biles, Tiesha Dove, Kam Finckel, Gayle Sis, Lynne Randolph, Esther Jackson, Barbara Myers and Dornette Brown.

By Jennifer Dietrick

Baltimore, MD

FEBRUARY 18, 2013 — As of today, I am officially one year post-op! One year ago, Dr. Barth and Dr. LaMattina had finished the living donor liver transplantation that saved my life!  When the doctors returned to the waiting room to update my family, the entire room erupted in applause! My boyfriend, Rob, was the donor.  Here’s what I’ve been up to in the past year:

I’ve been very busy with work. Being an accountant, this is our busiest time of the year so I am trying really hard to keep up. My biggest goal is to become a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). The test is VERY difficult. It is split into 4 grueling sections which require about 2 months of intensive studying each, while working a full-time schedule.

Before I went into acute liver failure, I had passed 2 parts of the exam (halfway!) but unfortunately, all 4 parts of the exam must be passed within an 18-month time frame. I lost the 2 parts that I had passed during the past year while I was focusing on my recovery. It was very disappointing. In December of 2012, I finally started getting some energy back after struggling with persistent anemia and a hematocrit between 28-30 (36 is normal). I studied really hard during the holidays and took 1 part on January 4 and I just found out that I PASSED!! Now I am on my way again to achieving my goal — and I am only 1 year post-op.

It’s such a wonderful feeling! During the past year, my recovery was really difficult and it seemed like I would never get better and now, 1 year out, I am down to 2 pills, twice a day and living a completely normal life!

I wanted to share this with other patients in hopes that it may provide some hope for anyone recovering or for those who have loved ones recovering from transplants or any other major surgery. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel and it is frustrating getting there but if you keep on working at it, you WILL go on to live the life you imagined and more!

You don’t have to be defined by the fact that you are a transplant recipient or let it hold you back from accomplishing your goals and dreams! Yes, I received a liver transplant but hopefully in the future I will be defined as Jennifer Dietrick, CPA!!

By Sharon Boston

Media Relations Manager for University of Maryland Medical System

More than 300 Baltimore seniors got their feet moving and their heart rates up at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s third annual “Dance for the Heart” event at the Virginia S. Baker Recreation Center in PattersonPark.

The participants came from senior centers throughout the city to take part in dance demonstrations, line-dancing and blood pressure screenings. It was a fun way to get their heart rates up, keep their feet moving and dance their way to better health. Many of them arrived already enjoying dance. Some dancers really had some signature moves, and others just enjoyed swaying. At least one dancer used his cane to safely join the fun.

Dance for the Heart video

The Medical Center, which provided “Dance for Your Heart” shirts for everyone, partnered with the Baltimore City Health Department and the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks for the event.

University of Maryland family medicine specialist Georgia Bromfield, MD, also talked to the folks about the “ABCs” of heart disease, and they had lots of questions for her.

“Dance for Your Heart” is part of the Medical Center’s community outreach efforts. The annual dance is one of a series of heart-health events the Medical Center is hosting during February, which is American Heart Month.  Be sure to visit the Medical Center at the B-More Healthy Expo, February 23-24 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

To learn more about other upcoming activities, visit our community outreach page: www.umm.edu/events

Lila Nappi, OTR/L, an occupational therapist in the Department of Psychiatry at University of Maryland Medical Center, wrote a moving letter to her colleagues after the culmination of a project they had worked on for more than three years. Last November, 14 adults became the first graduating class of the Academy of Independent Living, a unique program developed by the Division of Community Psychiatry. To read more about the event, see the previous post, Life Lessons for Independent Living Within a Community.

Dear All,

I just wanted to take a moment to share a few thoughts I have had since the graduation.

This has been quite a pilgrimage we have been on and, given the season, I just wanted to thank each of you for the privilege.  It is days like 10/10/12 and 11/14/12  that make it possible for me to be very proud to work for an organization that supports programs that transform people’s lives, members, family and staff alike.

Consistently, I heard from members and staff that they took the risk of getting outside their comfort zone in one way or another and were all the better for it.  I am struck by how we have learned to lead by example from the top down.

One example of this is Jill pushing us all to dream big. And then having the audacity to set the example and invite Kay Jamison. (Editor’s note: refers to academy founder Jill RachBeisel, MD, and keynote speaker Kay Redfield Jamison, PhD) I hear through the grapevine she is sending the graduates an autographed signed copy of her book — simply a class act.

Not to mention her inspiration, which was palpable on Wednesday. I kept looking at our graduates wondering what they were thinking and feeling and so hoping this is a turning point in their lives. Again we all made the seemingly impossible, possible. I hope as a result you see the world a little differently. We did not let fear, obstacle or negativity stand in the way of our goals and as a result we met them with meaning and purpose for all of us.

I have worked very hard during my 25-year career to create joy at work but I have never known joy like this. And for that, I thank you. It is role fulfillment I could not have imagined.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Fondly,

Lila Nappi

By Anne Haddad

UMMC Publications Editor

A brass ensemble played “Pomp and Circumstance” as the 14 graduates proceeded up the aisle. Family and friends wiped away tears of joy. One graduate, Richard Turnage, 31, spotted his mother, Tangera Keene, and stopped just long enough for her to snap a picture.

The proud moment was the culmination of a unique community mental health program that Turnage and his fellow graduates completed – a nine-semester curriculum focused on the skills and experience they need to make the transition to independent living.

Bryan Baird, the student speaker at the graduation, reminded his fellow graduates of all they had done.

“We learned how to interview for a job,” he said. “We learned how to cook meals [and] how to open a bank account. We went to the library and took public transportation.”

“Most of these patients were very young at the onset of their illnesses, which include mood and cognitive disorders. That greatly interfered with daily life,” said Jill RachBeisel, MD, (pictured above, center) associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of community psychiatry at University of Maryland Medical Center.

“In their teen years, at a stage when most of us learn our social skills, they were just hanging on for dear life,” RachBeisel said. “We wanted to develop a holistic, structured program to teach these skills that the majority of adults take for granted.”

Reaching Stability, then Gaining Skills

Before members of the academy progressed to residential rehabilitation, mental health treatment had allowed them to achieve stability. But even with this stability, the patients still had gaps in their experience and knowledge that might thwart their attempts to land a job, rent an apartment, get along with their neighbors and bosses or even to emotionally navigate a large family get-together.

Keene said she sees a big improvement in her oldest son, Richard Turnage, who was in the academy’s first graduation class this year.

“He is much better with his cousins, nieces and nephews when we all get together now,” Keene said. “There’s a big difference.”

“I’ve learned to manage my anger,” Turnage said.

RachBeisel developed the Academy of Independent Living three years ago. The learning and living both happen within each of the 19 single-family homes UMMC owns or rents in West Baltimore neighborhoods. The homes are run by UMMC Community Psychiatry’s residential rehabilitation program, Harbor City Unlimited.

Presentations are made in a classroom setting, and students then go out into the community to practice what they have been taught, and in some cases, even rehearsed, such as ordering food in a restaurant.

A Real Graduation

In some respects, the first-ever commencement ceremony of the Academy of Independent Living felt like that of any school, which is what the graduates wanted. Most had never had the opportunity to wear a cap and gown. In their teen years, when they might have gone to the prom and finished high school, the struggle with severe psychiatric disorders consumed their emotional and physical energy.

Their keynote speaker, scholar Kay Redfield Jamison, PhD, (above, left) professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University, is internationally known for her writings on managing life with severe mental illness.

The graduates wanted as much of the pomp and circumstance as they could get, starting with a formal dance a month before the graduation at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Stella’s Bridal Fashions and Value Village donated elegant gowns that retail for hundreds of dollars and Horton’s House of Tuxedos donated rental tuxedos or suits for the men. Elegant catered appetizers, cheeses, fruits and desserts were set on lovely tables. Everyone danced and celebrated. Staff noticed the students, in their formal attire, were standing taller and more poised than ever.

“Most programs have bits and pieces of this. But none that I know of is as comprehensive and organized as ours,” RachBeisel said. “Everyone would agree with the concept, but it is having the skill sets available in the staff to execute all of it. Our use of occupational therapists in the program has brought a skill set that can help train the existing staff to carry out this program moving forward.”

“Her collaborations with all staff have made it possible for members to participate in transformational opportunities for a population that is so frequently left in the shadows,” said Lila Nappi, OTR/L, director of occupational therapy in the Psychiatry Department.

In addition to teaching skills, the program allows the residents to develop relationships with neighbors and supports their transition back into the community. The academy embraces the mission of “recovery in mental health treatment,” RachBeisel said. Individuals learn to manage their illnesses so they can recover their lives.

Nappi and other occupational therapists such as Mark Karolkowski, OTR/L, and Chris Greseth, MS, OTR/L, (pictured below, on either side of Nappi) were among the staff who celebrated at the formal and at graduation. They were central to the development of the curriculum and training other staff to teach the students life skills to be able to live on their own, get and keep a job, and interact with coworkers and others. Read a letter Nappi wrote to her colleagues about the joy she felt watching the students graduate.

We work hard here at UMMC to make sure patients get great care, and to get the word out about it.

As a large academic medical center, UMMC is in the news just about every day, whether it’s a physician being quoted about a hot topic in medicine, a moving account of how a patient beat the odds, or a business story about the impact of health care reform. Sharon Boston, UMMC media relations manager, is one of the people who makes sure these stories get told.

Today, she was in the news herself. Fred Rasmussen, a Baltimore Sun reporter and columnist, heard about Boston’s Nerd Trips blog, in which she writes on her frequent travels to historic sites, such as homes of presidents and great writers. Find the blog at www.nerdtrips.net.

On Mondays and Wednesdays between January 21 and 30, UMMC Inflammatory Bowel Disease experts will be featured throughout the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts on WMAR-TV ABC-2 News. On each of those days, our IBD physicians will be interviewed twice – at the beginning of the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. news hours. Viewers can call in to ask questions and speak to an IBD expert at 410-481-2222 between 5 and 6:30 p.m. during the ABC-2 newscasts.

Here’s the schedule of dates and topics.

January 21 – “Overview of IBD” with Dr. Raymond Cross
Dr. Raymond Cross is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

January 23 – “Medical Treatment for IBD” with Dr. Seema Patil
Dr. Seema Patil is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

January 28 – “Women’s Health in IBD” with Dr. Leyla Ghazi
Dr. Leyla Ghazi is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

January 30 – “Surgery and IBD” with Dr. Andrea Bafford
Dr. Andrea Bafford is an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

For more information on the UMMC IBD Program, visit our Web site at www.umm.edu/ibd. The next UMMC IBD Health Seminar will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27 at the Columbia Sheraton. To register, call 1-800-492-5538.