Stanford Hospital experience inspires former patient to pursue nursing career
Norbert von der Groeben
Cheri Ward, RN (left), cared for Nataly Kuznetsov (right) during her stay at Stanford Hospital in 2005. Kuznetsov credits Ward with inspiring her to become a nurse.
Nataly Kuznetsov is a nurse today because she was a trauma patient at Stanford Hospital & Clinics in November of 2005. The accident happened the day before Thanksgiving.
Kuznetsov, then 23, was speeding south along Highway 1 on the back of a friend’s motorcycle. It was a warm and sunny day. Seagulls wheeled above the rugged coastline.
About 17 miles north of Santa Cruz, Kuznetsov’s friend, the man driving the motorcycle, decided to pass a car ahead of them. He accelerated to 80 miles per hour and moved into the opposite lane of traffic. At that moment, the car, a red sedan, slowed down and began to turn left into a farm. The motorcycle smashed into the driver’s side, sending Kuznetsov flying about 100 feet. She landed along the side of the northbound lane.
Her right femur had shattered into about 10 pieces. Some pieces had shorn through her skin. She was bleeding profusely from her leg. “The bone was basically completely blown,” she said. “My right leg was 4 inches shorter than my left one, just from the impact. You should see my X-rays. They’re phenomenal.”
She also had a head injury, a broken clavicle, lots of bruises and multiple abrasions. She was airlifted to Stanford Hospital aboard a Stanford Life Flight helicopter.
Her friend, who suffered less serious injuries, was taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in an ambulance.
Norbert von der Groeben
Nataly Kuznetsov was severely injured in a motorcycle accident in 2005 and treated at Stanford Hospital & Clinics.
For her part, Kuznetsov was impressed with how Ward cared for her, talked to her and reassured her. She was also inspired. “I remember leaving the hospital and thinking, ‘I want to become a nurse,’” she said. “I attribute that desire to Cheri. She’s the one who showed me the impact that nurses can have.”
Kuznetsov went on to earn a nursing degree from the Samuel Merritt University School of Nursing, in Oakland, and is currently finishing her master’s degree in advanced nursing practice at the University of California-San Francisco. She also is completing a nursing residency in the Stanford Hospital Emergency Department. Upon graduating, she will be a clinical nurse specialist in trauma and critical care.
“What I’ve realized is just how much of an impact nurses have on patients’ lives,” she said. “They’re the ones who are next to you. They’re the ones who are looking after you. They’re the ones who are holding your hand. They’re the ones who are going to let you cry next to them.”
After the 2005 accident, Kuznetsov underwent four surgeries on her leg, all performed by Michael Bellino, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at Stanford. “My recovery was amazing,” she said. “Even Dr. Bellino was impressed.”
Today, she walks normally and even practices Krav Maga, a martial art. She said her experience as a trauma patient helps her communicate with and care for other seriously injured patients.
“When I was 23 years old, I thought I was invincible, like all 23-year-olds do, and all of a sudden I was debilitated, an invalid, unable to walk, and people were helping open doors for me because they felt sorry for me,” she said. “So I think that being in that position has made me so much more compassionate and understanding. I can honestly tell my patients that I know what it feels like to be in a medical emergency crisis.”
By John Sanford
About Stanford Hospital & Clinics
Stanford Hospital & Clinics is dedicated to providing leading edge and coordinated care to each and every patient. It is internationally renowned for expertise in areas such as cancer treatment, neuroscience, surgery, cardiovascular medicine and organ transplant, as well as for translating medical breakthroughs into patient care. Throughout its history, Stanford has been at the forefront of discovery and innovation, as researchers and clinicians work together to improve health on a global level. Stanford Hospital & Clinics: Healing humanity through science and compassion, one patient at a time. For more information, visit www.stanfordhospital.org.