Cheryl's Story
January 10, 2021At five in the morning, Cheryl Kettler awoke in excruciating pain with a mysterious red dot on her stomach. "I was in so much pain, I couldn't wait for my doctor's office to open so I rushed to the Emergency Department at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital," recounts Cheryl.
Cheryl, a visiting professor of legal research and writing at The George Washington University Law School, shares her story often and has become a donor and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital Ambassador to express her gratitude for the care she credits with saving her life.
A Timely Diagnosis
Ameesh Vora, MD, internal medicine, Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, examined Cheryl in the Emergency Department and believed the red dot might be a sign of something serious.
“It didn’t seem like simple cellulitis that we usually treat with oral antibiotics,” said Dr. Vora. “The duration of symptoms and the severity of her pain were alarming.” Examining fluid from the wound, as well as observing how the tissue surrounding it was affected, Dr. Vora ordered an abdominal CT scan.
Thanks to a team of highly skilled doctors at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, I got the immediate attention I needed and was diagnosed quickly, saving time – saving my life.
— Cheryl Kettler
“The scan revealed gas in her tissues, a hallmark for necrotizing fasciitis,” said Dr. Vora, which is a rare and fast-moving flesh-eating bacterium. “It has a very high mortality rate. I immediately consulted infectious diseases and general surgery.”
A team was quickly assembled to get Cheryl the proper treatment.
Teamwork Provides Life-saving Care
"Dr. Vora admitted me immediately," said Cheryl. "Shortly thereafter I met my surgical dream team, along with the wonderful nurses in the Intensive Care Unit who saw me through four surgeries over the course of 16 days." (Learn about Holy Cross Germantown Hospital's surgical services).
Cheryl's Holy Cross Germantown Hospital surgical team included George Conrad, MD, general surgery, and Alexander Sailon, MD, plastic surgery, in consultation with Ruth Jacobs, MD, infectious disease.
“Cheryl had a necrotizing soft tissue infection driven by a deadly bacterium that does not respond to most antibiotics," said Dr. Conrad. "We aggressively removed the affected tissue, and Cheryl had a good outcome because we acted immediately."
Dr. Conrad removed the affected tissue, and Dr. Sailon closed the large gap left after the extensive dead tissue was removed.
"I became the good kind of statistic," said Cheryl, "the 20 percent of people who have survived without the loss of anything. This disease takes limbs, organs and lives.”
An Effective Emergency Medicine Protocol
Holy Cross Germantown Hospital's board-certified emergency physicians, highly-skilled emergency nurses and technicians are on-site seven-days-a-week, 24-hours-a-day, and treat every patient according to evidence-based protocols.
"Our care is enhanced by our rapid response teams who use a system of triage that enables us to quickly assess patients and begin collaborating on individualized treatment plans like Cheryl's," said James Delvecchio, MD, medical director, Emergency Department, Holy Cross Health.
Expressing Gratitude and Becoming an Ambassador
Speaking at the hospital that she credits with saving her life, Cheryl said: "Today I celebrate two anniversaries: I’m six years cancer free, and I’m celebrating four months of life after surviving a flesh-eating disease. Thanks to a team of highly skilled doctors at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, I got the immediate attention I needed and was diagnosed quickly, saving time – saving my life.”
Cheryl has become a Holy Cross Germantown Hospital Ambassador to express gratitude for the care she received. Ambassadors have committed to a minimum of $1,000 in annual support of the hospital and are dedicated to the mission of Holy Cross Health and the success of Holy Cross Germantown Hospital.