Coming back from the brink

"They saved my life."

We can likely all appreciate the gravity of these words, but none more so than people like Herond Hoyt who have come scarily close to death. And the "they" he refers to? The nurses and doctors at Cache Valley Hospital.

Herond had been having back pain for years. As it got progressively worse over time, he eventually had spinal fusion surgery at a hospital in Salt Lake City where his L4 and L5 vertebrae were fused together.

The surgery seemed to have gone well, but about a month later he started to feel pain in his back, which progressed until it eventually became unbearable.

"I couldn't stand the pain anymore. I had injections, physical therapy, and pain pills — but nothing helped," Herond says.

He went to get checked out, received an x-ray, and learned that he had developed a massive infection in the spot where his spine was supposed to have fused. And to make matters worse, this infection was eating away his vertebrae.

The surgeon at the hospital in Salt Lake City readmitted Herond and he started seeing an infectious disease specialist, where we received infusions twice each day for a week to combat the infection and help him start to heal. The issue? Herond lives in Logan and needed to continue daily infusions for several more months. He had two choices: live in a facility and receive treatment, or live at home and go to a hospital to receive the infusions. He wanted to live at home.

The hospital Herond was at in Salt Lake City contacted the hospitals in Logan and asked if one of them would be able to take over the infusions he needed twice each day. Cache Valley Hospital accepted.

"He was in really bad shape when we started seeing him," says Aleece Barrett, an RN at Cache Valley Hospital. "He was in such intense pain and depressed as a result. We weren't sure he was going to survive."

So it began — each and every day, twice per day, Herond came to Cache Valley Hospital to receive infused medications to resolve the infection, helping him to heal and decrease his pain. That continued for four long months, all the while making slow but steady improvements.

He then dropped to one infusion per day for another month. After infusions stopped, he was on heavy doses of oral antibiotics. All in all it took him nearly two years to recover and fully regain his strength.

"Having had a bad back my entire life, and then having gone through fighting this infection, it was fantastic to be pain free. I could bend over and do just about anything, and without having pain. I'm still amazed at that."

Throughout his journey of care at Cache Valley Hospital, Herond speaks with love and fondness of his caregivers, all of whom he knows by name. There's Teressa, Aleece, and Temple who would rotate coming in during their off days and hours to ensure Herond received all of his infusions. There was also Dr. Gordon and Bre, a certified hyperbaric technician. But it wasn't just nurses and doctors who impacted Herond. There was also Terri, an office assistant at the hospital, whom he says went above and beyond for him.

"I thought my insurance was going to cover my treatments, but I started getting huge medical bills. Terri was the one who spent a lot of time making phone calls and sending letters, advocating in my behalf. She didn't have to do that for me, but she did." Herond says. According to Herond, those efforts by Terri were very fruitful, saving him more than $100,000 in out-of-pocket expenses.

After all of his pain, treatment, and recovery, misfortune struck again when a disc broke in Herond's back that then pinched a nerve in his spine, which required surgery to fix. Herond chose to have that surgery at Cache Valley Hospital.

"After what I experienced after my first back surgery, I was nervous to have another one," Herond says. "But this surgery was an excellent experience for me. Dr. Felix did an excellent job. The care provided by the hospital staff, along with the recovery and follow up, were also excellent."

To say that Herond is thankful for the care he has received from Cache Valley Hospital is an understatement. "I am so appreciative of those people who were willing to give their time — weeks and weekends — to take care of me. They are very special to me and I have a great love for them for what they did for me."