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A higher level of care
—Continued on page 2
I
ITWAS JUST AFTER noon on
November 26 when John and Tammara
Pittman got a call that John’s son,
Kenneth, was at St. Anthony Hospital
in Pendleton, Ore., following an
assault. The couple, who live in Athena,
Ore., rushed to Ken’s side to find him
unconscious and unresponsive. He had
experienced a severe brain injury.
“When I first saw him, I didn’t
think he was going to make it,” said
Tammara, Ken’s stepmother. “The
doctor, Kathleen Stein, gave him less
than a three percent chance of survival.
She told us to start heading
to Kadlec, and if they could
get him stabilized, and
if he survived the flight,
Dr. (Matthew) Fewel was
waiting. She said he was a
very good neurosurgeon and
ready to perform surgery
immediately.”
Within minutes,
the 24-year-old was
on a Life Flight helicopter to
Kadlec Regional Medical Center. By the
time the Pittmans arrived, Dr. Fewel
already had Ken in surgery.
“He made it through surgery and
was moved to the Intensive Care Unit
(ICU),” she said. “We knew it was
touch-and-go.”
A few days later, Ken’s brain began
to swell again, and Dr. Fewel operated
a second time to relieve the pressure on
his brain. “Dr. Fewel told us if he made
it through the next three hours, he had a
chance,” she said.
Ken, who is still active in the Oregon
Army National Guard and served
two tours of duty in Iraq, did make it
through those three hours and spent a
total of two weeks in ICU.
“The care he received was phenomenal,”
said Tammara. “We know Dr. Fewel and
the ICU staff saved his life.”
Plus, Ken was young and strong, and
had a will to live, she said.
“We know that being able
to have his family and friends
visit him in the ICU also made
a difference. The fact that at
Kadlec, visitors are allowed in
the ICU had a huge impact.
We wholly believe it helped
him,” she said.
After two weeks, Ken was
transferred to North Idaho
Advanced Care Hospital in
Post Falls, Idaho. The facility specializes
in patients recovering from serious
illnesses or injuries. They estimated,
said Tammara, Ken would be there for
over a month. He progressed so quickly,
after one week he was transferred again,
this time to St. Luke’s Rehabilitation
Institute in Spokane.
“They told us to expect him to be
really needed
“We know
Dr. Fewel
and the ICU
staff saved
his life.”
—Tammara Pittman
What Ken
Neurosurgery care close to home
Kenneth
Pittman