By Abdool A. Aziz

DOCTOR Karen Raginski hails from a family of doctors who are brilliant and skillful. She rose to become the head of the ER at age 49. She loved her profession and was on call at the time, dealing with trauma cases. She had just ‘repaired’ the abdomen of a bullfighter gored by a raging bull. She went outside for a ‘smoke’, her pager rang. She rushed to the trauma table.

THE SHOCK
The patient was her only son, Errol. He was in a coma and was the victim of a motor accident. Her heart dropped to the ground. Her eyes watered. She felt like crumbling to the floor. But she had to struggle to remain calm and lead her team of surgeons to save this grossly, injured youth. The diagnosis: fractured skull, broken arm, damaged rib and a crushed ankle.

We are still human, imperfect and subject to sensitivity and emotions. Here was a mother face to face with a critical case and though ‘floored’ needed to retain her professionalism and get on with the job. It’s a thin line between personal interest and objective measures.

A life was on the line and a treasured one at that. The x-ray revealed a splintered cranium but no damage to the meninges (the thin membrane covering the brain). The arm and ankle were reparable, but the damaged rib was her worry. The lungs can be damaged and fatal. Her worse fear was realised as the x-ray showed the rib piercing the lung.

Swift action was taken to remedy the situation but it was too late. Dr. Raginski watched as the blip on the monitor became a straight line. She lost her son. It was too much, she collapsed. Her colleagues rushed to her aid. A mother in grief. She herself became bedridden as Errol was wheeled into the mortuary. It was a terrible accident.

The guilty driver died at the scene. Errol had to be extracted by using the ‘Jaws of Death’. Only a month ago he had bought a Lexus sport and his mom warned him of the dangers on the road, especially on Saturday nights. The dead driver was drunk. Errol had no alcohol in his blood. What a tragedy. A young life wasted.

Dr Raginski resigned from her job at the hospital to work for MADD- Mothers Against Drunk Driving and she founded an organisation to raise funds for the victims called ‘Errol’s Care’. She always recalls that fateful night when she battled to save her only son. It took a toll on her fragile soul but she manages to pull through life, knowing that Errol is helping others even from the grave.