Hospital: PAM Health Specialty Hospital of Stoughton and PAM Health Specialty Hospital of Rocky Mount
Diagnosis: Stroke
North Carolinians Seth “Donny” and Sandy Carawan found themselves with some extra time this summer and decided to go on a spontaneous adventure before the start of the school year. Sandra is a middle school teacher, and Donny works for the state in the correctional system. They decided to travel by car across New England, catching the beautiful scenery and hiking — one of their favorite pastimes. Their multi-state adventure began on July 28 and took them to Plattsburgh, New York; into Vermont; and across the border to New Hampshire. On August 1, they entered Bangor, Maine, en route to Bar Harbor. The trip was going well.
On August 2, Donny felt unwell, and his condition deteriorated rapidly. Sandy took him to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bangor where he had a massive stroke on August 2. He remained there until August 7, when he was med-flighted to Portsmouth Regional Hospital for advanced ICU care. During this time, Sandy was always by his side, and they celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on September 19 in the hospital. Donny’s condition remained critical. He was unable to wean from the ventilator, and he received a tracheostomy on August 12. With much care and therapy, he slowly regained some strength in his right side and began to see some gains overall, especially in ventilator weaning. On September 27, he arrived at PAM Health Specialty Hospital in Stoughton. He was weaned from the ventilator but still needed his tracheostomy. His biggest challenge was building trust with his new team.
On November 21, Donny was deemed stable enough to transfer to PAM Health Specialty Hospital in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, to continue his rehabilitation closer to home. He is making small, but steady, gains and hopes to be totally weaned from his trach and feeding tube. His lively blue eyes light up when Sandy is beside him. Their enduring love is obvious to all. When asked what he is most looking forward to once he returns to his home, he said, “holding my grandchildren.”
Donny is a military veteran (retired US Army), having served multiple tours of duty in Vietnam, plus multiple tours of duty both stateside and around the world. We are honored that he chose PAM Health hospitals to care for him during this challenge, and we are thrilled to have made his dream of returning home to North Caroline a reality.
We wish Donny and Sandy Godspeed in their journey and are sending them love, encouragement, and strength. We are glad that our network of hospitals has been able to provide him with the care and encouragement he needs, both away from home and Donny is truly part of the PAM family now.
