Trauma Survivors Pay Thanks at Hospital

In a ceremony filled with hugs and a few moist eyes, four trauma victims returned to Northridge Hospital Medical Center on Friday to give thanks and receive warm wishes for their care.

Attended by hospital staff members and many visitors, the annual Trauma Awareness Day was a way of celebrating the patients’ recoveries and recognizing the continuing need for urgent care services in the San Fernando Valley.

“I’m just happy to be here,” said 30-year-old Guy Arnone, a Canyon Country resident who was struck by lightning in Calabasas on March 14. “I’m grateful for their services. I’m indebted. You can’t put a price on it.”

Remembering the evening eight weeks ago when Arnone was brought in unconscious, operating room nurse Lisa Anderson said she’s very happy he survived with little permanent damage. “He’s a very lucky man,” she said.

Michael Hilty, 15, spent several days in a coma last fall after suffering a brain injury in a skating-related fall. With parents Hank and Diane at his side, the Van Nuys resident gamely received hug after hug from his former caregivers and admitted he was overwhelmed by the attention.

Also on hand were Lulu Howard, 71, who survived a freeway collision last August, and 41-year-old Hazara Singh, who was stabbed in the heart during a convenience store robbery.

For Anderson and the other staff members, the event was a welcome opportunity to witness the living, breathing results of their efforts.

“We lose . . . [patients] and we see a lot of bad things,” she said. “But when you see how you actually made a difference for someone, it’s nice.”