Adam’s Story: 12-year-old Bike Accident Victim with Complications Grateful for Care at Maria Fareri

What started as a fun camping trip, ended as every parent’s nightmare for Michelle Magwood, whose 12-year-old son Adam had a serious bicycle accident during the trip. Miles from nowhere, Adam was unresponsive when an ambulance arrived and he was ultimately flown to Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla.  A team of critical care specialists cared for Adam during his flight to the hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), the region’s only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center.

In addition to head trauma that required neurosurgical evaluation, Adam had a broken arm when he arrived at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and was immediately admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Under the care of a team of specialists that included pediatric trauma specialists, Adam’s recovery rapidly progressed, but “something wasn’t right,’’ says Michelle. “His breathing was horrible.”

Tali Lando, MD, a pediatric otolaryngologist (an ear, nose and throat specialist) on the team at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital suspected scarring in Adam’s airway was the cause and received approval from Adam’s parents to perform an emergency tracheostomy.

Within a few days following the procedure, Adam’s airway returned to normal, and within two weeks, the tracheostomy was removed.

“We were able to successfully manage what could have been a very dangerous situation,’’ says Dr. Lando. “His family was very grateful to the entire team.’’

For Adam’s part, he says he was very relieved that the ordeal did not affect his voice, since he loves to act.

“At first, I thought I was going to die,’’ recalls Adam. “Then, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to speak again, but now I’m fine. It was pretty traumatic. But it was such good care at the hospital. It was like a miracle. The hospital was really nice. You could tell they really care.”