Eight-year-old Sherman Wells, Jr., his mother, Tonya Wickliff, and sisters were displaced after hurricane Katrina devastated their home in New Orleans in September 2005. Tonya and the girls evacuated to Houston to be near relatives but Sherman was unable to join them since he requires hemodialysis and there were no available care openings in the Pediatric Centers in Houston. The family was able to be reunited because the Pediatric Dialysis Unit at UTMB responded to Tonya’s search for this highly specialized care. Tonya and Sherman now travel to Galveston three times a week for hemodialysis. Tonya is amazed at the comprehensive and loving care that Sherman and the family are receiving and she wishes to share the story of their health care experience at UTMB. This is their story.
Four years ago Sherman fell from a 4th floor balcony and sustained irreversible damage to both kidneys. Since that time he received hemodialysis at a New Orleans Medical Center. After Katrina struck, Sherman traveled to Florida to live with his father because a dialysis unit there was able to provide him with the care he required. During that time, Tonya moved to Houston with her daughters and began a search for a unit that would provide pediatric dialysis care for Sherman. She was unsuccessful in finding a unit for him, however, a social worker placed a call to UTMB and the family learned that there was space for Sherman here.
Tonya spoke to Jeanie Tinkle, CN V in the Pediatric Dialysis Unit at UTMB. Jeanie explained the services and care that our health care team could provide and even called long distance to Florida to share this information with Sherman’s dad. Mr. Wells was impressed with the level of care available in Galveston and, despite his desire to have Sherman remain in Florida, he elected to have Sherman move to Houston in order to benefit from comprehensive services at UTMB.
Sherman arrived at UTMB for his first treatment in the Pediatric Dialysis Unit the week after Thanksgiving. From the first treatment day, Tonya and Sherman felt wanted and loved. Tonya knows all of the Dialysis staff by name and states that they are her second family. Tonya feels secure because Sherman is monitored very closely while he is on the dialysis machine. She has also been pleasantly surprised to learn that the Pediatric Dialysis Team makes things as easy as possible for them. “They work with my schedule – they understand if I am late,” explains Tonya. “They teach me the ropes, how to get Medicaid transportation, how to manage his fluids and sodium. They explain things in terms I can understand.” Tonya noted that health care teaching at other hospitals was provided “to an extent. They never explained to the point that I understood. Here, even if they are walking out the door, I am their priority.” Tonya noted that the nurses gave her a blood pressure monitor so that she can track Sherman’s BP readings, and in fact, give her all the things that she needs to provide care. She noted that the Dialysis and Transplantation Team has already begun steps toward placing Sherman on the Renal Transplant list.
Tonya was surprised to learn that all of Sherman’s health care needs are part of his care plan at UTMB. For example, Sherman fractured his thumb in the fall from the balcony. It was never treated and it healed improperly. Sherman is aware that it looks mangled and he has a “complex” about it. Despite repeated efforts, Tonya was never able to have Sherman’s thumb attended to in New Orleans. Plastic surgeons at UTMB are already making plans to repair his thumb. Tonya notes that the surgeons communicate and coordinate the repair plan closely with the dialysis physicians.
Sherman’s other emotional needs are met as well. The care managers have been working closely with the family and school services are working hard to coordinate hospital tutoring with the education plan in Sherman’s school so that he will not fall behind. “We never had this kind of experience before, they always used to try to give us home school.” Christmas was a particularly difficult time for Tonya, “I was in a rut.” The staff “knew it and managed to come up with $130.00 and presents for me and each of my kids. This was a total surprise – I never had this type of experience before!”
Many families would consider it a hardship to travel from Houston to Galveston three times each week but to Tonya, this is an “enjoyable experience. I enjoy the ride and my other kids like coming too because they feel comfortable visiting.” Tonya also notes that she loves UTMB so much that she is signing up her other children and herself for health care. She has been to several clinics and finds the reception “warm and comfortable.” She appreciates the honest, open communication with the staff and notes that her opinion is sought and respected and at the same time confidentiality is maintained.
When asked if she had a message for other parents and families, Tonya explained that she would like others to know how good UTMB has been to her and her family. “They work miracles. They don’t go the extra mile – they go the extra 5 to 10 miles.”