Kids just want to have fun, but sometimes, that leads to unfortunate accidents. Fortunately, for 10-year-old Ella Christman, an accident while playing and subsequent arm fracture led to an unexpected diagnosis that would save her life. The experience left a lasting impression on Ella, her family and the care team.
Kids just want to have fun, but sometimes, that leads to unfortunate accidents. Fortunately, for 10-year-old Ella Christman, an accident while playing and subsequent arm fracture led to an unexpected diagnosis that would save her life. The experience left a lasting impression on Ella, her family and the care team.
When Ella arrived at the emergency department late December 2022, Dr. Bill Haselow tended to her. They bonded immediately over their love of planes – the F/A-18 in particular, which Dr. Haselow flew when he was in the Navy Marine Corps.
Dr. Haselow and the team worked quickly to set Ella’s arm back in place. As they ran tests to make sure Ella was healthy, they noticed something concerning – she had a complete heart block.
“Nobody would have ever known if I hadn’t broken my arm,” Ella said.
As Dr. Haselow, ended his shift, he transitioned Ella’s care to Envision teammate Dr. Marcus Fazzari. He continued caring for her and ensured it was safe to be discharged. The team also set up a plan for Ella to receive care at a nearby hospital specializing in pediatric surgery.
“It was purely the attentiveness of the nursing team and physician team to catch this,” said Travis Christman, MSN, RN, Ella’s father.
Two weeks later, Ella underwent the placement of an epicardial pacemaker with redo sternotomy. She is now at home recovering.
“I think of my granddaughters who are approaching the same age, and hopefully, someone will care for them like we cared for her, Dr. Haselow said. As he reflects on his career, he says this will be the type of case “you’ll think about the rest of your life.”