Spring Break
Professor recovering from leg injuries
By: Stuart Womack
Issue date: 10/23/06 Section: News
Susan Kelly, an associate professor in performance studies, is doing well after sustaining severe leg injuries when she was hit by a car in the Northside parking garage Tuesday afternoon.
Kelly was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital where she underwent a stabilizing surgery Tuesday night and a second surgery Thursday.
"Thursday's operation went very well," Kelly said. "There was enough viable skin remaining to close both legs, and the fact that we were able to screw the ankle back on was a true miracle because it was completely detached with no circulation, pulse or nerve feeling."
The doctors were able to close open wounds on both lower legs, screw her right ankle on to the leg bone and insert an external fixator to bridge a gap from her left knee to her ankle.
Kelly said her right leg is now able to function, although no weight can be placed on either leg.
"Quite a bit of the bone below my left knee was pulverized," she said.
Kelly's registered nurse said the hospital plans to transfer her to the rehabilitation center on Monday or Tuesday for a week before returning to the hospital for another surgery on Oct. 31.
"At the next surgery, the doctors plan to remove the external fixator from her left leg and insert a plate that will hopefully be more permanent," the nurse said. "The swelling in her leg has to go down before the plate can be inserted."
Kelly's nurse said she will be transferred back to the rehabilitation center following her next surgery and the doctors will see how she progresses from that point.
"She (Kelly) will have to be able to transfer herself from a bed to a chair with a walker or crutches before we can let her go home," she said.
Kelly said she has been working on moving herself from her bed to her wheelchair, and that she hopes to be teaching again next semester.
"I will, in all probability, not be able to teach for the rest of this semester, but I look forward to coming back to teach from a wheelchair next year," Kelly said. "Next semester, I am planning to direct a play, and I am already looking forward to getting into that process."
Kelly said that while she and her husband have not completely ruled out pressing charges against the student, it is unlikely to occur.
"I don't see that we will press charges in the future, but it's possible," she said. "Right now, we're just trying to get through the surgical process."
Kelly said according to the current prognosis, she will likely be spending four months in a wheelchair without applying weight to her legs and will endure up to a year of physical therapy to regain her ability to walk.
Kelly was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital where she underwent a stabilizing surgery Tuesday night and a second surgery Thursday.
"Thursday's operation went very well," Kelly said. "There was enough viable skin remaining to close both legs, and the fact that we were able to screw the ankle back on was a true miracle because it was completely detached with no circulation, pulse or nerve feeling."
The doctors were able to close open wounds on both lower legs, screw her right ankle on to the leg bone and insert an external fixator to bridge a gap from her left knee to her ankle.
Kelly said her right leg is now able to function, although no weight can be placed on either leg.
"Quite a bit of the bone below my left knee was pulverized," she said.
Kelly's registered nurse said the hospital plans to transfer her to the rehabilitation center on Monday or Tuesday for a week before returning to the hospital for another surgery on Oct. 31.
"At the next surgery, the doctors plan to remove the external fixator from her left leg and insert a plate that will hopefully be more permanent," the nurse said. "The swelling in her leg has to go down before the plate can be inserted."
Kelly's nurse said she will be transferred back to the rehabilitation center following her next surgery and the doctors will see how she progresses from that point.
"She (Kelly) will have to be able to transfer herself from a bed to a chair with a walker or crutches before we can let her go home," she said.
Kelly said she has been working on moving herself from her bed to her wheelchair, and that she hopes to be teaching again next semester.
"I will, in all probability, not be able to teach for the rest of this semester, but I look forward to coming back to teach from a wheelchair next year," Kelly said. "Next semester, I am planning to direct a play, and I am already looking forward to getting into that process."
Kelly said that while she and her husband have not completely ruled out pressing charges against the student, it is unlikely to occur.
"I don't see that we will press charges in the future, but it's possible," she said. "Right now, we're just trying to get through the surgical process."
Kelly said according to the current prognosis, she will likely be spending four months in a wheelchair without applying weight to her legs and will endure up to a year of physical therapy to regain her ability to walk.
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