A Little Arm, a Big Fall, and Even Bigger Care

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What began as a normal afternoon quickly turned into a frightening moment for Amber Christy and her four-year-old daughter, Eva. A simple accident at her grandparents’ house sent the Vincennes family rushing to the Emergency Department at Good Samaritan.

“I was actually getting ready to leave work when I got a phone call that Eva had been jumping off the fireplace hearth,” Amber recalls. “She landed on her arm wrong, and it didn’t look right. I was hopeful it wasn’t anything major, but knowing our luck, I figured there was a good possibility it was broken.”

From the moment they arrived, Amber says the care and compassion were immediate. “We waited in the waiting room for maybe three minutes before they got us back,” she says. “That alone helped calm my nerves.”

Eva was evaluated by the Emergency Department team, including a physician Amber remembers fondly. “We saw Richard A. DeFelice, MD. They told us to just call him Dr. D, as it’s the easiest way to pronounce it,” she laughs. “He was wonderful.”

X-rays confirmed Eva had fractured her wrist just below the growth plate. Even in a stressful situation, Amber found comfort in the familiar faces and gentle approach of the staff — especially their nurse, Logan Hamilton.

“We actually knew our nurse,” Amber says. “She’s a family friend and has kids about Eva’s age. Being able to say, ‘This is my friend Logan, she’s going to take good care of you,’ made the situation so much more comfortable — for both of us.”

Because the injury happened the day before Thanksgiving, the care team made a thoughtful decision to reset Eva’s wrist in the Emergency Department rather than wait several days for follow-up.

“They didn’t want it to start healing incorrectly,” Amber explains. “They explained everything to Eva and made her as comfortable as possible. They definitely calmed me down — and I think that helped calm her, too.”

Eva followed up with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Molly Weiss, who Amber says made the transition from emergency care to specialty care seamless. “They were expecting our call and got us in first thing Monday morning,” she says. “It was reassuring to know everyone was already on the same page.”

Just as the family thought they were in the clear, Eva had been playing with her little brother on the couch, and fell off causing her wrist to re-break, leading to a same-day surgery recommendation. While the idea of surgery was intimidating, Amber says the process moved quickly and smoothly.

“Sending your four-year-old to surgery is scary,” she admits. “But everything happened so fast and efficiently. By the time we were walking to the parking lot from our appointment with Dr. Weiss, surgery was already calling to get everything set up for the next morning.”

On the day of surgery, Amber found comfort in the kindness of the surgical team — especially their nurse, Jennifer Eaton.

“We had to be here at six in the morning, and she was bubbly right off the bat,” Amber says. “She was so sweet, explained everything really well, and helped Eva feel at ease.”

To make the experience even more special, the team went above and beyond for Eva and her favorite doll.

“We brought Barbie for moral support,” Amber smiles. “Eva couldn’t decide between a pink or purple cast, so Jen wrapped Barbie’s cast in purple and Eva got pink. She got the best of both worlds.”

Today, Eva is healing well and proudly sporting her pink cast. “Our biggest issue now is just finding clothes to fit over it,” Amber laughs. “She was upset the first time she didn’t get a pink cast, but when she re-broke it, she was excited because she did.”

Looking back, Amber says she’s grateful for the care her daughter received at Good Samaritan.

“It’s nice having a hometown hospital where you know the people caring for your child,” she says. “Whether you’re four years old or 35, they made the entire process seamless and a lot easier to go through.”

And for Eva? When asked how she feels now, she flashes a smile and she’s already counting down the weeks until her cast comes off.

Sometimes, it’s the smallest patients who remind us just how powerful compassionate care can be.