DO - Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

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When I woke up at Warhorse, I kept repeating “My head hurts!” I don’t remember any of this, but the doctors at Warhorse, good friends of mine, suspected I had an intracranial bleed and had me flown to LSA (logistical support area) Anaconda for treatment. Thankfully, my Kevlar helmet stopped the IED shrapnel from penetrating my skull. But the shrapnel did cause several comminuted fractures of my skull, along with facial bone fractures and epidural, subarachnoid and subdural hemorrahages. The increasing intracranial pressure from the bleeding inside my skull caused extreme nausea and unrelenting vomiting. My head hurt and I was confused. When my squadron commander, Lt. Col. Poppas, my physician’s assistant, Maj. Rather, and a few other friends from the squadron explained what happened to me and the extent of my injuries, I couldn’t believe it. I asked to see my CT scan right then and there. Lt. Col. Poppas pinned a Purple Heart on my shirt, and I remember thanking him and then jokingly told him it wasn’t the medal I wanted to receive in Iraq. Maj. Rather and I always referred to the Purple Heart as the “Iraqi Marksmanship Badge.” Capt. Larry Robinson on the Iranian border. Shrapnel struck me in the helmet and knocked me unconscious. Paratroopers in my squadron quickly pulled me from the burning wreckage before the ammunition exploded. I was taken to FOB (forward operating base) Warhorse and treated in the same trauma room that I’d worked in as a physician. Amazingly, I was the only one injured in the explosion! After that, I was evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany, and had surgery soon after landing. They performed a craniotomy with evacuation of the epidural hematoma and cranioplasty to stabilize my fractures. Four days later, I was able to fly back to the United States to the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) in Bethesda, Md. I was very anxious to get back to the U.S. and to see my wife. I was told she had been flown to NNMC and was waiting for me. Capt. Larry Robinson, center, with Maj. Brad Rather, a physician assistant, left, and 1Lt. Braden Hestermann, a medical platoon leader, right, at LSA Anaconda before his evacuation to Germany. 22 www.oucom.ohio.edu
Emily’s story I remember that morning very clearly. While chastising myself for sleeping in and leaving only 30 minutes to get ready for work, my cell phone rang. It was 7 a.m. A few days earlier, Larry told me that he was leaving for a month-long mission and would not be able to call me until the end of March. I answered. A male voice identified himself as the rear detachment officer for 5-73 CAV and he had news about Larry. I thought the call might be about some paperwork that Larry and I needed to fill out. It never occurred to me that he might have been hurt. Capt. Larry Robinson with an Iraqi child during a combined medical engagement mission. At NNMC I received first-rate medical care, for which I’m grateful. I wasn’t the most pleasant patient to care for—I would often awake from horrible nightmares where I thought the nurses were all trying to kill me. I was discharged from NNMC on March 13 to begin my three-month rehabilitation at Firelands Regional Medical Center. I did my internship and residency in family practice at Firelands. My father-in-law, Dr. James Preston, is the director of medical education there and was my first boss during my training. He’s become a great friend and an inspiration to me. The medical education I received at Firelands was great. It gave me everything I needed to be confident of my skills while in Iraq. My focus on hospital and in-patient training at Firelands—central lines, intubation, chest tubes, etc.—made procedures and trauma much easier for me in the field. Almost all soldiers in Iraq suffer from chronic thoracic and lumbar back pain. It’s one of the consequences of wearing 50 pounds of body armor, spending hours sitting and sleeping in cramped humvees and sleeping outdoors on the ground while on missions. Because of my excellent OMM training, I was able to use manipulation to relieve their back pain. I still have some lingering problems, but I’m rapidly improving and expected to make a full recovery. After a few more months of rehabilitation, I’ll receive an extensive cognitive evaluation in the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic at Walter Reed Army Hospital to see if I’m ready to return to active Army duty as a physician. My squadron has been hit really hard since my injury—I was the first—18 have been killed and over 40 have been injured during their long mission in the Diyala River Valley. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be asked to deploy to Iraq again. But this brush with death has made me realize that every day is a gift from God, and it’s important to make the most of every moment. TODAY’S DO When he told me that Larry had a skull fracture, my mind went blank. He continued talking, but I couldn’t comprehend what this guy was saying. I gave the phone to my dad, hoping he could understand what was happening. The look on my father’s face told me the news wasn’t good—Larry had sustained a skull fracture and they’d call us when they had more information. I couldn’t stop crying. After praying and more crying, I called Larry’s brother, Mark, who is an OU-COM medical student at Firelands. He and his wife, Valerie, joined me and my parents for a prayerful wait at the kitchen table. We waited for what seemed like an intolerably long time, then, at 2 p.m., Larry called! His speech was slurred, but he assured me that his injuries weren’t “life-threatening,” he was going to be okay and that he loved me. I arrived in Bethesda, Md., at the National Naval Medical Center just a few hours after Larry checked into the ICU. When I saw him, he had 67 staples holding his scalp together, two black eyes from the broken bones in his face and the head trauma, and one blood-red eyeball. But I couldn’t take my eyes off him—it was so good to see him. He’s had an amazing recovery. The doctors at Walter Reed Army Hospital are impressed with the care he’s receiving at Firelands and pleased with how well he’s healing. They expect a full recovery. We’re so blessed that we can resume our life together. What a gift. -Emily Robinson
Page 1 and 2: perspectives from DO the college of
Page 3 and 4: DO the college of osteopathic medic
Page 5 and 6: On Campus “…a gem in the needie
Page 7 and 8: Go! Nearly 90 people participated i
Page 9 and 10: C O R E N e w s Whether working wit
Page 11 and 12: Congratulations, you’re a D.O. Ju
Page 13 and 14: Eric Greenfield all the right reaso
Page 15 and 16: photo provided by Cmdr. George Cere
Page 17 and 18: Medicine N e w i n t e r c u l t u
Page 19 and 20: Second-year students Rachel Polinsk
Page 21 and 22: lth eriences that of potential diff
Page 23: photo courtesy of Abigail Bobrow/Sa
Page 27 and 28: “I really enjoy research and had
Page 29 and 30: C onstruction of the integrated lea
Page 31 and 32: and Friends Board Daryl Sybert, D.O
Page 33 and 34: “Listening to doctors talk about
Page 35 and 36: 1988 Robert A. Cain, D.O., was name
Page 37 and 38: James D. Heddleson, D.O., is curren
Page 39 and 40: June 21 - 24, 2007 Ohio Osteopathic

DO - Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

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