Kenneth Crowell This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. The Times Leader: Family feels hunting accident survival a miracle - - The Salem News Online

   www.salemnews.net/news/story/0 - [Cached]

   Published on: 2/15/2004   Last Visited: 2/15/2004

   It was early December when Kenneth Crowell, husband and father of seven, left his home to go hunting with his sons and some friends.
   
   According to his wife Carol, of four years, she had planned to go along but decided she needed to go home to get some cleaning done instead.
   
   Crowell said, at this point, the actual events of the shooting are not important because it is over and done with.
   
   Crowell's three sons Alex, 13; Aaron, 15; and Eddie, 26, witnessed the shooting and according to Crowell, the bullet went through him, hit Aaron and knocked him down but it did not penetrate. Crowell's three sons Alex, 13; Aaron, 15; and Eddie, 26, witnessed the shooting and according to Crowell, the bullet went through him, hit Aaron and knocked him down but it did not penetrate.
   ...
   "They did everything right the first time," said Crowell.
   
   Upon arriving at the hospital, Crowell said, the last thing he remembers before slipping into a three-and-a-half week coma, was grabbing the doctor by the arm and saying, "I don't care what you have to do to me to save my life. I have a wife and kids that I have to take care of."
   
   Carol said during the first two days he was given 37 units of blood. He was losing blood faster than they could pump it in. "They put towels around him to soak up the blood because they couldn't move him," she said.
   
   During the time he was in a coma Carol wrote everything down. "That's how I survived," she said. "I lived for the visitation and that was three times a day for one half hour each."
   
   The first night, because doctors didn't think he would live for more than two hours, a caring, compassionate nurse at St. Elizabeth's Trauma Center allowed her to stay in his room with him all night. That night, the surgeon told her to prepare herself for the worse.
   
   For 16 days Carol did not leave the hospital. She celebrated her 40th birthday in the waiting room at the hospital where her boss and her coworkers came to bring her a cake and wish her a happy birthday.
   
   When Ken finally woke up, he thought it was the next day and felt real bad when he realized he had missed her birthday. He had already bought her birthday present. "I told him that I didn't want it until he could give it to me," she said. "His living was my birthday present."
   
   At one point the doctor told Carol that she may have to make a decision as to whether or not she would allow them to give him a tracheotomy should he have problems once he was taken off of the ventilator.
   
   Carol said she had a very hard time deciding what to do in that situation and finally the doctor told her that if he had problems, he would give him the tracheotomy because he would not go back on his promise to do whatever he could to save him.
   
   Carol was grateful when she was told it would not be necessary.
   
   "I never knew what they would say from one visit to the next," she said.
   
   At one point doctors thought they would have to amputate his left leg. "It was just a miracle that when they did re-attach the arteries, he had blood flow," said Carol.
   
   Doctors were also worried he may have sustained brain damage because he began experiencing seizures. But, Carol said, once the swelling went down the seizures stopped.
   
   Once those worries began to fade, doctors informed the couple that he may be in danger of infection.
   
   At that, Crowell commented, "I can't believe I made it through a gun shot wound to die from an infection."
   
   On Saturday, Feb. 7 he returned home.
   
   His initial bill for medication was $1,700. His antibiotic for possible bone infection, is $110 per pill. At that time, the couple could only afford enough to get him through the first ten days.
   
   Although, his pelvis and hip are completely shattered and there is only muscle supporting his leg and his brace is being modified because when he uses his walker his knee could extend backward.
   
   Crowell's goal is to be able to eventually walk with a cane.
   
   Doctors say he will never walk or work again. But, the Crowell's refuse to give up.
   
   "I've always worked hard and taken care of my family and I've always helped people in need and it's rough here on the other end of it," he said. "I don't like it."
   
   At one point, Crowell, who has been employed with Salem Community Hospital as a licensed stationary engineer in the boiler room for the past 13 years, had given away vacation time to help co-workers out. "I didn't think I'd need it," he said. "Now, people have been doing the same for me."
   ...
   Carol's two youngest children, Alex and Clarissa live with Ken and Carol and Ken's two youngest, Sarah and Aaron stay with them on weekends and days they don't have school.
   ...
   According to the Crowell's, Ken was sent home early from the hospital because his insurance would not cover any more in-patient rehabilitation. He is now receiving outpatient care.

2. 2. The Times Leader: Family feels hunting accident survival a miracle - - The Salem News Online

   www.salemnews.net/news/story/0 - [Cached]

   Published on: 2/14/2004   Last Visited: 2/14/2004

   It was early December when Kenneth Crowell, husband and father of seven, left his home to go hunting with his sons and some friends.
   
   According to his wife Carol, of four years, she had planned to go along but decided she needed to go home to get some cleaning done instead.
   
   Crowell said, at this point, the actual events of the shooting are not important because it is over and done with.
   
   Crowell's three sons Alex, 13; Aaron, 15; and Eddie, 26, witnessed the shooting and according to Crowell, the bullet went through him, hit Aaron and knocked him down but it did not penetrate. Crowell's three sons Alex, 13; Aaron, 15; and Eddie, 26, witnessed the shooting and according to Crowell, the bullet went through him, hit Aaron and knocked him down but it did not penetrate.
   ...
   "They did everything right the first time," said Crowell.
   
   Upon arriving at the hospital, Crowell said, the last thing he remembers before slipping into a three-and-a-half week coma, was grabbing the doctor by the arm and saying, "I don't care what you have to do to me to save my life. I have a wife and kids that I have to take care of."
   
   Carol said during the first two days he was given 37 units of blood. He was losing blood faster than they could pump it in. "They put towels around him to soak up the blood because they couldn't move him," she said.
   
   During the time he was in a coma Carol wrote everything down. "That's how I survived," she said. "I lived for the visitation and that was three times a day for one half hour each."
   
   The first night, because doctors didn't think he would live for more than two hours, a caring, compassionate nurse at St. Elizabeth's Trauma Center allowed her to stay in his room with him all night. That night, the surgeon told her to prepare herself for the worse.
   
   For 16 days Carol did not leave the hospital. She celebrated her 40th birthday in the waiting room at the hospital where her boss and her coworkers came to bring her a cake and wish her a happy birthday.
   
   When Ken finally woke up, he thought it was the next day and felt real bad when he realized he had missed her birthday. He had already bought her birthday present. "I told him that I didn't want it until he could give it to me," she said. "His living was my birthday present."
   
   At one point the doctor told Carol that she may have to make a decision as to whether or not she would allow them to give him a tracheotomy should he have problems once he was taken off of the ventilator.
   
   Carol said she had a very hard time deciding what to do in that situation and finally the doctor told her that if he had problems, he would give him the tracheotomy because he would not go back on his promise to do whatever he could to save him.
   
   Carol was grateful when she was told it would not be necessary.
   
   "I never knew what they would say from one visit to the next," she said.
   
   At one point doctors thought they would have to amputate his left leg. "It was just a miracle that when they did re-attach the arteries, he had blood flow," said Carol.
   
   Doctors were also worried he may have sustained brain damage because he began experiencing seizures. But, Carol said, once the swelling went down the seizures stopped.
   
   Once those worries began to fade, doctors informed the couple that he may be in danger of infection.
   
   At that, Crowell commented, "I can't believe I made it through a gun shot wound to die from an infection."
   
   On Saturday, Feb. 7 he returned home.
   
   His initial bill for medication was $1,700. His antibiotic for possible bone infection, is $110 per pill. At that time, the couple could only afford enough to get him through the first ten days.
   
   Although, his pelvis and hip are completely shattered and there is only muscle supporting his leg and his brace is being modified because when he uses his walker his knee could extend backward.
   
   Crowell's goal is to be able to eventually walk with a cane.
   
   Doctors say he will never walk or work again. But, the Crowell's refuse to give up.
   
   "I've always worked hard and taken care of my family and I've always helped people in need and it's rough here on the other end of it," he said. "I don't like it."
   
   At one point, Crowell, who has been employed with Salem Community Hospital as a licensed stationary engineer in the boiler room for the past 13 years, had given away vacation time to help co-workers out. "I didn't think I'd need it," he said. "Now, people have been doing the same for me."
   ...
   Carol's two youngest children, Alex and Clarissa live with Ken and Carol and Ken's two youngest, Sarah and Aaron stay with them on weekends and days they don't have school.
   ...
   According to the Crowell's, Ken was sent home early from the hospital because his insurance would not cover any more in-patient rehabilitation. He is now receiving outpatient care.