Christina's Accident Recovery

In the early morning hours of November 5, 2022 Christina Riek was driving her son and her dog to her parent’s house to drop them off prior to going to work. She has worked in the ICU at Advocate Condell Medical Center since 2007 as a patient care technician and graduated as an RN during COVID in 2020. She was a devoted employee who was never late so it was surprising when she didn’t show up for her shift that morning.

The North Chicago Fire Department and North Chicago Police Department responded around 6:40 a.m. to the area of Waukegan Road and Hampton Boulevard. Christina and her son were involved in a serious T-bone crash suffering critical injuries. Both were transported to Condell. Luckily, her son and dog suffered minor injuries and were only kept for observation. On the other hand, she suffered critical injuries including a shattered pelvis, a large liver laceration, and a severed iliac artery. She was trapped inside her vehicle after a prolonged extraction by authorities. After she was extricated, a breathing tube was placed and she was transported to Condell where the trauma surgeon she worked with on a regular basis now had to care for her as a patient. She received massive blood transfusions in order to stabilize her for emergency surgery on the severed artery. After a successful surgery, she had to be transported to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital to undergo 5 subsequent surgeries to repair all of her injuries. She was finally transferred back to Condell for the final phases of recovery and discharged after one month of hospitalization.

She is currently learning to walk again and undergoing intense physical therapy. Although she always is in high spirits, this event has transformed her life into a new trajectory she never imagined. She is a fitness fanatic and is now unable to complete the smallest of daily activities. She’s determined to walk again but it will be a long road to that finish line. Luckily she has a positive attitude and grit needed to keep pushing forward each day. Now that she is on the road to recovery, her fellow nurses would like to set up a fundraiser to support her. All funds raised will help contribute to her medical bills and therapy. Please consider donating any amount you feel comfortable with and leave a message of encouragement. Also, please share with others to help spread the word. Scroll down to view the pictures (shared with her permission).