Woman Suffers Severe Spinal Cord Injury, Finds Relief at Danbury Hospital

DANBURY, Connecticut, October 23, 2019 — A freak accident left Katherine (Kathy) Wenning unable to move her upper body. She knew she needed medical attention, but she was at her country getaway in Washington, Connecticut — two hours by car from her home in Manhattan and the New York medical system she trusted. Kathy put her faith in a neurosurgeon and care team at Danbury Hospital to treat her severe spinal cord injury.

Fateful fall leads to unexpected injury

Kathy, 75, was getting ready for bed when she tripped on her clothes and struck her neck on a shelf inside her closet. She lost consciousness and woke up to pain radiating from her neck down to her arms. Kathy’s husband, Michael Dennis, found her lying on the floor of the closet unable to move. She just wanted to go to sleep, hoping she would feel better in the morning.

Kathy was in excruciating pain and she couldn’t move her arms when she woke up the next morning. Michael wanted Kathy to go to an emergency department (ED). They weren’t sure where to go because they’ve never needed urgent medical attention while staying in Washington. Kathy and Michael consulted with friends from New York who also spend time in Connecticut and they recommended Danbury Hospital.

After Michael called 911, Washington volunteer emergency medical services arrived at their home in less than 10 minutes. Kathy recalls that despite being traumatized by the pain, she was alert during the swift ambulance ride to the Danbury Hospital ED, where she was seen immediately upon arrival. Danbury Hospital’s Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Emergency Department is an accredited Level II Trauma Center, a Stroke Center, and a Chest Pain Center.

A Danbury Hospital ED physician suspected Kathy had broken her neck because of how she fell and the symptoms she was experiencing. The physician ordered a CT scan — the first test for a serious injury to the neck — and also called neurosurgeon Dr. Scott Sanderson. Based on the physician’s initial assessment, Dr. Sanderson ordered an MRI too — a test required for diagnosing a broken neck — and then he headed to the ED to see Kathy.