My Jackson Miracle – Hermine Eyma Pedro Medina

In July 2003, Herminie Eyma Pedro Medina was walking out of a restaurant in her native Port-au-Prince, Haiti, when a car pulled up near her and someone inside fired a bullet in her direction. Hit in the left arm, she immediately fell to the ground.

“I didn’t know what was happening,” recalled Herminie, now 63. “Everything happened so quickly.”

However, after she was rushed to a nearby hospital, it was determined that the bullet did extensive damage. It had fractured multiple ribs, hit her spinal cord, and damaged her lungs.

“I had no feeling from the chest down,” said Herminie, an obstetrician/gynecologist with extensive medical training. “I was told that it was a life-or-death situation.”

In order for Herminie to survive, she needed more advanced care – care that was not available in Haiti. Her best chance at survival was in the United States at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

Three days after the shooting, she was flown to Jackson’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she was seen by UHealth – University of Miami Health System neurosurgeon, Barth A. Green, MD, who is world-renowned for treating patients with spinal cord injuries.

Dr. Green performed a laminectomy, a surgery that removes the part of the vertebra called the lamina, taking pressure off nerves in the low back.

After recovering in intensive care, Herminie was moved to Jackson Rehabilitation Hospital for intense physical and occupational therapy. She recalls having to learn how to eat on her own, sit, use the bathroom, and do transfers from her wheelchair into a bed and car.

“I had to learn to do everything again – except think,” she said. “My brain and my heart were still intact.”

During her month-long stay at the rehab hospital at Jackson, Herminie developed close relationships with the medical team that cared for her, including physical therapists Jill Caldwell, PT, and Pedro Pozzobon, PT, and recreation therapist, Cathy Herring, CRT. Lornette Patrick, ARNP, a nurse practitioner who treats patients with spinal cord injuries, has also made a huge difference in her life.

“I admire Herminie’s spirit and fortitude,” Patrick said. “She is one of the strongest people I know. We have become like family.”

For her part, Herminie Eyma Pedro Medina gained an appreciation for the life-changing work performed by the caregivers.

“I was so impressed with everyone who worked there and the impact that they had on patients,” she said. “I wanted to give back to Jackson what I had received from the hospital.”

Herminie was looking forward to returning to Haiti, but her plans were derailed when she suffered another major health crisis: a brain hemorrhage. Once again, she says, her life was saved at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

“God first – through Jackson – saved my life twice,” Herminie said.

Last November, Herminie officially became a Jackson Health System volunteer. Every Tuesday afternoon, she volunteers in the outpatient physical therapy gym at Jackson Rehabilitation Hospital, where she helps with filing, answering phones, and calling patients to confirm appointments. Because she speaks five languages – Creole, English, French, Spanish, and German – she is able to communicate with many of the patients.

“Herminie has been such a huge help to us,” said chief of physical therapy Taime Roque, PT, MS. “We love having her here.”

Ellen Davis, volunteer services administrator at Jackson Memorial Hospital, calls Herminie an “inspiration.”

“Her determination to give back to Jackson as a dedicated volunteer is truly remarkable,” Davis said. “She is responsible, has a positive outlook, and has a wonderful attitude that extends with every person she encounters. Nothing holds her back – and we are so glad that she is volunteering here as a true shining example of the miracles made daily.”

For her part, the patient/volunteer is proud of how far she has come and the progress she has made. She lives independently, works as a substitute teacher for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and is a proud mother and grandmother.

She hopes to continue volunteering at Jackson Rehabilitation Hospital, and move into a role as a peer mentor for patients who have suffered spinal cord injuries – and any other patient who needs support and motivation.

“I would like to continue my efforts to excel in my professional field: medicine with the goal of helping those who are suffering,” Herminie said. “I am confident that I will be making a difference in the lives of a larger group.”