LONDON, Ontario, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For several years, Lisa and Dennis Carroll have dedicated their lives to honouring the memory of their daughter Rachel. Their journey is marked by showcasing the exceptional care delivered by the trauma team at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and offering generous donations in return.
Lisa and Dennis Carroll have generously pledged $1,000 annually for the next 10 years to establish the Rachel Carroll Wellness Award. This award is dedicated to the memory of their daughter, a young woman who possessed a zest for life and a passion for travel.
“Rachel's accident and her subsequent hospitalization at LHSC was life-altering for her,” said her father Dennis and stepmother Lisa. “Her recovery, though painful and long, was aided by countless compassionate doctors, nurses and staff. A trauma social worker by the name of Karen Pierre was instrumental in helping Rachel in her recovery along with helping us navigate successfully through this journey. Rachel's transformation post-recovery was profound. She embraced a simpler life, focused on health, family and spirituality—a true embodiment of Pura Vida*.”
Rachel's life took an unexpected turn when she suffered traumatic injuries in a car accident while travelling in Costa Rica. The trauma team at LHSC played a pivotal role in her recovery, inspiring her to embark on a new path focused on healing and spirituality. Tragically, Rachel passed away from a brain aneurysm in October 2019, just as she was about to begin another adventure.
Amy Maskish, a trauma nurse practitioner at LHSC, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Carroll family. “Receiving this generous donation is a reminder that even the simplest gestures to a health care provider leave lasting impressions on patients and families,” Maskish says. “This donation reaffirms the well-being of both healthcare professionals and survivors matters. Rachel's memory, forever remembered in this award, serves as a symbol of gratitude from patients and families to those that provide them care.”
This year's award winners are Valorie White, a physiotherapy assistant and Amy Gale, a charge nurse on the ortho trauma unit, who will be awarded $1,000 each. Their outstanding contributions were celebrated during the annual Trauma Survivors Night on May 28, an event that holds great significance for the Carroll family.
The Rachel Carroll Wellness Award aims to recognize individuals who, like Rachel, demonstrate a love for learning and a commitment to helping patients heal from trauma. It is a testament to Rachel's spirit and the profound impact the trauma team had on her life.
* Costa Rica's unofficial national slogan meaning “pure life” symbolizing a simple, cheerful outlook and lifestyle
Interviews are available upon request with the Carroll family and Amy Makish, Trauma Nurse Practitioner at LHSC.
About London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF):
As the charitable arm of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), we at London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF) strive to enhance the standard of care for patients at our hospital. With donor generosity, we support the development of critical initiatives such as ground-breaking research, state-of-the-art equipment, specialized care with personalized treatment options, and the education of our next generation of clinicians. Through the hope and kindness of our donors, the health and lives of patients at LHSC are improved today and tomorrow. We honor our donors' compassion with gratitude, steward with respect, and report with honesty, transparency, and accountability. As a Canada Revenue Agency registered charity accredited by Imagine Canada, LHSF’s donors enable discovery and innovation in research, education, and patient care. To see how donations make extraordinary care possible, visit lhsf.ca.
For further inquiries, please contact:
Jenn Basa
Communications Officer, Media and Internal Communications
London Health Sciences Foundation
Jennifer.Basa@lhsc.on.ca
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e1555abb-0c67-45cc-8637-c8e0efe8b31c
