When Savannah Germaine traveled to California in September 2024 to care for her late mother’s estate, she never imagined the trip would lead to a months-long medical journey — or that healing would ultimately come from a small hospital just steps from her Kansas apartment.

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On November 24, 2024, Germaine was cleaning her mother’s pool, which was lined with decorative rocks and bricks. As she netted debris, she slipped and fell. Instinctively, she threw the pool net aside and tried to catch herself on the deck. Instead, her leg — covered by leggings — caught on the rocks.

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“I didn’t realize how bad it was at first,” Germaine said.

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The leggings never tore, concealing the severity of the injury. When she finally examined her leg, she saw a deep gash in her calf, the skin split open.

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“It basically filleted my leg,” Germaine said.

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Germaine sought emergency care at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento, California, where she was sedated and the wound was stapled closed. She was discharged with a referral to plastic surgery and told that providers would wait to see how the skin healed over time.

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That approach was especially concerning for Germaine, who lives with lymphedema — a chronic condition that causes swelling in the limbs due to impaired lymphatic drainage. Lymphedema can significantly slow wound healing, increase skin fragility and raise the risk of infection, particularly in the lower extremities.

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By Christmas Eve 2024, Germaine had returned home to Winchester, Kansas. Within days, the wound worsened. Signs of infection appeared, prompting Germaine and her daughter to seek care at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. There, the wound was reopened, irrigated and debrided, and a negative pressure wound therapy device — commonly known as a wound vac — was applied.

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Germaine left the hospital with the device in place but little understanding of how it worked or what ongoing care would look like.

“I remember thinking, ‘Am I going to have to go to Lawrence every couple of days just so someone can look at it for five minutes and wrap it back up?’” she said.

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A conversation with a neighbor changed everything. Germaine learned that the small hospital located just a couple hundred yards from her apartment complex — F.W. Huston Medical Center — offered far more than emergency services and long-term care.

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Through that connection, Germaine was referred to F.W. Huston’s wound care team, including Certified Wound Care Nurse, Jessica Anderson and Hospital Nurse, Dori Thorne.

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At Germaine’s first visit, Anderson discovered a missed staple from the initial procedure and removed it. She also took time to explain the wound vac, helping Germaine feel confident managing it between visits.

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“That was the biggest challenge,” Germaine said. “Having somebody help me understand how we were going to fix my leg.”

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For several months, Germaine visited F.W. Huston twice a week. Each appointment averaged about 30 minutes — less time than it took to drive one way to Lawrence. As healing progressed, Germaine graduated from the use of the wound vac. Her wound treatment changed, and her visits transitioned to weekly check-ins. In total, the process lasted nearly a year.

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“It’s been a long journey, and your team saw me every several days for the first part of it,” Germaine said.

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During that time, Germaine continued seeing a surgeon at Lawrence Memorial Hospital every two weeks. Those visits, she said, were brief — often no more than five minutes — and consistently reflected satisfaction with the progress made by the F.W. Huston team.

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“Jessica and Dori did all the work,” Germaine said.

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There were also moments when the wound vac malfunctioned. Instead of traveling to a larger facility, Germaine simply drove to F.W. Huston, where staff immediately helped troubleshoot and fix the issue.

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Germaine had been warned early on that healing might not be possible and that amputation was a real risk — a fear made more personal by her experience with a family member who lost a leg following an injury. Her lymphedema added complexity, slowing tissue regeneration and requiring close monitoring to prevent setbacks.

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“Healing just had its own timeline,” Germaine said.

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Throughout the process, the encouragement and consistency of care made a difference.

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“I looked forward to coming in,” Germaine said. “Jessica and Dori are like rays of sunshine. They’re always positive, friendly and glad to help you. You can tell that it’s a calling.”

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Germaine even found humor along the way, initially joking that her wound looked like a shark bite and would make for a great story. As healing progressed, she laughed that the scar didn’t quite live up to the tale.

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“It’s not going to look as much like a shark bite as I thought,” Germaine said.

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Today, Germaine says she would choose F.W. Huston first for future medical needs.

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“I didn’t even know they were here,” she said. “I thought I would have to go all the way to Lawrence or the nearest big city, and you guys are right here. More people need to know that.”

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She acknowledges that small hospitals have limitations but believes their strengths are just as important.

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“If I have to piece together my health care to stay with F.W. Huston, I will,” Germaine said.

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Kari Houk, Hospital Director of Nursing at F.W. Huston Medical Center, said stories like Germaine’s reflect the unique role rural hospitals play.

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“Small hospitals are deeply connected to their communities,” Houk said. “We may not offer every specialty under one roof, but what we do offer is time, access and continuity of care. That relationship — knowing our patients and walking alongside them through recovery — is where real healing happens.”

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Anderson said she was grateful to be part of Germaine’s journey.

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“Savannah’s healing required patience, education and trust,” Anderson said. “With lymphedema, wound care is rarely quick or predictable, but I’m so glad she felt supported and confident throughout the process. Being able to see her progress over time and know she felt cared for is why we do this work.”

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For Germaine, the experience reshaped how she views health care in her own community.

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“We need more places like F.W. Huston to really care and help people just be healthy,” she said. “Everybody in this community needs to know that you can go here and get real, quality care. People don’t know that there is gold in these hills.”