If Casey Holsing didn’t have
medical insurance, she’d have more than $4 million of bills racked up from
hospital stays, surgeries, rehab, therapy, and more. All from a car accident in
Beatrice that could have been avoided.
“I had five surgeries in 36
hours,” Holsing recalled. “My entire life changed in one second.”
It was Tuesday, Aug. 18,
2020. Casey was on her way home from work at Southeast Community College’s
Beatrice Campus. She decided to stop at Sonic for a snack. The last thing she
remembers is the light turning green and she was turning. The next thing she knew
she was waking up in a strange room.
She was life-flighted to a
Lincoln hospital where she was immediately taken into surgery for internal
bleeding. She had more than 50 blood transfusions that night, and even a visit
from the hospital chaplain. Casey doesn’t remember any of this because she
spent 10 days on a ventilator in a medically-induced coma.
“Where am I? What’s going on?
I was really confused,” she said upon waking.
After spending a month in the
Intensive Care Unit, she was moved to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in
Lincoln, where she stayed for three months inpatient and another nine months
outpatient. It would be almost a year and a half before she returned to work.
Her injuries included a
concussion, whiplash, broken ribs, bruised lung, shattered hips and pelvis,
broken femur, torn bowel, shattered L5 vertebrae, broken tibia and fibula, and
a dislocated shoulder. She had two subsequent hip replacements and continues to
be in a lot of pain. She had a total of 11 surgeries, and takes around 18
prescription medications a day.
“It (the accident) was hard
to talk about at first, but talking about it has helped me process it,” Holsing
said.
She first shared her story at
SCC’s Safety Fair last summer. After realizing people were interested in what
happened, she continued to speak out. She then went to her mother’s place of
employment and then to her church. She takes along a tri-fold featuring
pictures from the accident as well as X-rays showing her injuries. She hopes to
visit more places to talk about what happened.
“Maybe I have a new mission,
a new purpose,” she said.
For Casey, it was difficult
to get back into a car, and even harder to pass by the intersection where the
accident happened. After so much time away from work, Holsing is glad to be
back as an admissions counselor and testing coordinator at SCC’s Beatrice
Campus.
“I missed my co-workers and
missed my students,” she said. “It’s nice to be back in a routine. People want
to help, and it’s awesome to see the outpouring of support.”
All of the SCC campuses held
blood drives in honor of Casey during her recovery period, including two at the
Beatrice Campus. People sent her cards, texts, and emails in support of her
getting better. She felt the love and continues to have a positive attitude,
despite the fact she still doesn’t feel anywhere close to 100%.
“SCC and my church family
have been awesome,” she said. “I make the most of every day. You never know
when life can change. It’s important to be there for people. You never know
what they’re going through.”
If you’re interested in
having Holsing speak to your organization, she can be contacted at cholsing@southeast.edu or 402-228-8242.