In early September, I was recovering from a complex foot surgery that involved detaching the Achilles tendon to fix the bone, and the wound from my surgery was not healing properly. I was referred to wound care by my civilian surgeon, and I contacted multiple wound care centers at civilian hospitals, but they were not taking new patients, or it would be at least a week before they could see me. I contacted USCIS and requested an appointment with wound care within a few hours of sending the photos through the VA system.

I was contacted by the SCI team, and they immediately reached out to my civilian surgeon to start the ball rolling on getting me care. When Sarah first called me, I was very stressed out and worried about the situation, as things seemed to be getting worse, not better. The wound had been debrided twice since the surgery and had only made a small improvement for a short period of time before getting worse again. I was struggling mentally as well as physically, and at my wits' end. Speaking to Sarah on the phone, she assured me that when I showed up the next day, they would come up with a plan to get things moving in the right direction.

After having looked at the photos, she also suggested I might be having a reaction to the iodine I was using to treat the wound. That afternoon I decided not to treat with iodine when I changed the dressings and for the first time in days it was not so itchy and uncomfortable period the next morning at the VA hospital when I met Sarah and the rest of the team, they were confident and reassuring. While waiting for the test results, they discussed various options for wound care. Once the results were back and it was not an infection, they got to work. Sarah determined that an internal stitch had not been reabsorbed as it should have, and was hindering the wound from closing on its own. She was able to remove the problematic suture effortlessly.

When Sarah worked on the wound, it was not painful or uncomfortable, unlike in past procedures. She provided me with a specific 10-step instruction review, repeatedly showing me what to do to make sure I understood exactly how to care for the wound at home. She gathered the supplies and needed to arrange to have more mail delivered to my house. She moved in and out of our room throughout several hours, speaking with me and providing me with additional resources. She arranged for occupational therapy to come and provide items to assist, and then physical therapy when she found out I was paying to rent a knee scooter, so I could be given one for free.

My husband came back from doing a walk and brought a parking ticket he received, and she contacted the social worker to arrange for a parking pass for us since we would have to come back regularly for a few weeks. All this occurred on Wednesday, which is the day that Sarah would normally only see inpatient appointments. When she saw the photo, she knew I should not wait an extra day. Once the wound was redressed under the new protocol, Sarah had another nurse set up so I could upload photos for her to view regularly and schedule a return next week.

We live approximately four hours from the VA. I was not able to drive, as this was my right foot. Hence, my husband had to bring me. Sarah understood the hassles of travel. She was able to use the photos and video visits to reduce the number of times they had to come in person to the VA she closely monitored the situation as I improved connecting with my civilian physician adjusting my wound care with different medications and dressings as things improved and made sure everything arrived at my house when I needed it even with the inconsistencies in our mail system.

That first day, I was at the VA for over six hours, and all my past medical experiences in the civilian or VA world, I have never felt so cared for and supported by the medical team. Sarah was highly professional but also relaxed enough to put me at ease. She was infinitely patient in listening to my concerns and answering my questions, and I think most importantly, consistently reassured me that I or anyone else had done nothing wrong. Sometimes these things just happen.

 would see Sarah in person or over video every week for the next month. Three weeks ago, the wound was closed, and I was able to start water physical therapy to begin the long road of regaining the strength and flexibility in my foot, ankle, and Achilles. Sarah is clearly a subject matter expert when it comes to wound care and exemplifies the VA mission to provide care for those who served. She treated me with the utmost respect, and I am so incredibly grateful that she is part of my team at the Syracuse VA.