Helping a Nurse Recover from Animal Attack

Jessica is a mother of two, a wife, a dog and chicken lover,  and a Labor & Delivery Nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.   On the night of Christmas Eve, while walking her dog Marley, she and the dog were attacked by a stray animal that left Jessica and Marley severly injured.  Jessica was immediately taken to the ER, as she suffered from immense bleeding in her hand. At the ER visit, the wound was sutured shut, which is not usually done with animal bites, as this can increase the risk for infection. However, it was the only course of action to stop the bleeding. 


After returning from the ER, Jessica and the family awaited the news on Marley.  That news came on Christmas morning, and with the extent of his injuries, the decision was made to put Marley to sleep.  Shortly after he passed, Christmas flurries began to drift across the sky... His way to signal to the family he was going to be OK.


Unfortunately, the day after Christmas, Jessica began experiencing increased pain to her hand and went back to the hospital.  An MRI showed flexor tenosynovitis and infection and she was admitted for IV antibiotics.   After 48 hours of IV antibiotics and increasing pain, she was referred to surgery to assess the damages inside of the wound, revealing tendon and nerve damage.  


Jessica is now out of the hospital and beginning the road to recovery.  She will be unable to return to work for a few months while completing physical therapy to regain full use of her hand.  There have been and will continue to be many medical expenses, veterinary bills, as well as loss of salary, making this a challenging time for Jessica and her family.