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Patient Stories: Amy Westgate

April 9, 2021

Amy Westgate, at the age of 21, was driving on Superbowl Sunday at 4:45 pm when another driver hit her vehicle head-on.

Amy Westgate

Amy was brought to Tufts Medical Center via MedFlight with critical injuries, including multiple fractures and massive internal bleeding. Amy remained at Tufts MC for 3 ½ weeks in the ICU and underwent eight surgeries. Her multidisciplinary care team included physicians from the Emergency Department, Obstetrics, Orthopedics and others. While Amy doesn’t remember much of her time while at Tufts MC, her mother, Annette, was with her daily during her stay. They both recall their appreciation for the Medical Center staff who, during this tremendously challenging time, provided them with resources and navigated them through the countless medical procedures and subsequent recovery process.

Amy and Annette are not only grateful for the lifesaving care that Amy received, but for the compassionate manner in which they were treated. Annette shares that “Dr. [Scott] Ryan, [Chief of Orthopedic Trauma,] asked us about Amy. He wanted to know about her as a person and not just a case number.” Adds Amy, “Dr. Ryan is pretty much family at this point. He still checks in and makes sure everything is ok.”

Today, Amy is in school and working full-time, and is incredibly grateful to Tufts MC for saving her life.

Recently, Amy’s story of survival was featured during the virtual Working Wonders for Tufts Medical Center event. Watch her story and the entire program here.

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