A MELBOURNE mother has praised Mount Gambier Hospital staff who cared for her son after he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident at Beachport.
Jayden Piltz, 24, was conveyed to Mount Gambier Hospital on Saturday, September 23, with serious spine and leg injuries.
His mother Sally Piltz – who described his injuries as frightening – described the care and treatment provided by staff at the hospital as “brilliant”.
Jayden broke his tibia and fibia and sustained four compound fractures of his spine when he lost control of his motorcycle on Lake George Road.
“We are both from Melbourne where you are just a number in the hospital system, but there in your hospital we had names, we had worries and we had fears,” Ms Piltz told The Border Watch yesterday.
Ms Piltz said her son was transferred to the Austin Hospital in Melbourne, where he was known as “bed 10”, not Jayden.
“Jayden was in the high dependency unit for a few days at Mount Gambier Hospital and, as frightening as it was, every staff member was there to comfort us and explain everything to us,” she said.
“Even the cleaner/tea lady knew our names and how I liked my cuppa.”
Ms Piltz said nothing appeared too much for any of the staff.
“When Jayden was shifted to the surgical ward yet again the staff went above and beyond what is required of staff who managed to get Jayden flown back to Victoria,” Ms Piltz said.
She revealed there were some major bureaucratic hurdles trying to get Jayden flown to a Melbourne hospital.
“I heard on the grapevine that even orthopaedic surgeon Henry Forbes – who performed surgery on Jayden – gave a serve to whoever was trying to stop Jayden flying home,” Ms Piltz said.
“Nurses spent hours on the phone fighting the bureaucratic minefield of getting a patient across the border.
“For all of this and Mr Forbes’ amazing surgery, we will be forever grateful.”
She said she wanted to thank every staff member of the high dependency unit and surgical ward for making such a horrible situation bearable.
“Jayden is now doing well and has changed to a moon-boot and a back brace and is now out of hospital,” she said.
While Jayden will mostly recover from his injuries, she said he would now have to live with long-term back issues.
Ms Piltz also thanked Avalon Motel in Mount Gambier for its hospitality and service.
“They went over and above the duty required of them,” she said.
“When they heard that our son was in hospital, they dropped the price of the room and even put the heater on for us for when we came back – I just can’t thank the people of Mount Gambier enough.”
