Tracii’s Miracle – Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital

Tanica stood at her daughter’s bedside in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, seemingly trapped in a nightmare.

Hours earlier, in a freak accident at the family’s home, 3-year-old Tracii had been pinned between the car and the wall of the house. Her injuries were extensive.

“I was devastated,” Tanica says. “I didn’t want to lose my baby.”

Tracii had been airlifted by the LifeLine transport team to Johns Hopkins All Children’s for advanced life-saving care.

Pediatric trauma surgeon Christopher Snyder, M.D., then a surgical fellow, will never forget his first encounter with the child. Snyder had seen traumas of all kinds. But he had not seen anything like this in a 3-year-old.

“Tracii’s pelvis was crushed and there was extensive injury to her perineum, her private area,” Snyder says.

The skilled surgical team, including Snyder, attending surgeon David Kays, M.D., as well as teams of urologists and orthopaedic surgeons worked to stabilize the young patient before she was transferred to the PICU.

This first medical victory marked the beginning of a long road to healing.

Overcoming Obstacles

Tracii would require many subsequent surgeries and a high level of specialty care.

To reassemble her pelvis, orthopaedic surgeons implanted something called an external fixator. This involves drilling pins into the pelvic bones and then securing them to each other with metal rods.

For the first month, the fixator kept Tracii largely confined to her hospital bed. But the little girl rarely let it dampen her spirits.

“Tracii had a very enthusiastic personality,” Snyder says.  I think that helped her get through that difficult time.”

After 10 long weeks, Tanica was able to take her daughter home.

“It was amazing care,” Tanica says. “Her doctors and nurses loved her. They made her feel happy.”

Major Milestone

When Tracii turned 5, it was time for a final reconstructive surgery.

During the 15-hour procedure, doctors were able to bring the intact pelvic organs, which had retracted higher into Tracii’s abdomen, back into place and reconstructed them where necessary.

What happened the next day amazed Tracii’s mom.

“She got up out of bed and started walking,” Tanica says. “I said, ‘Tracii, you just had reconstructive surgery!’”

It was a sweet, victorious moment after such a long medical journey.

Tracii Today

The girl who triumphed over trauma walks into the hospital’s bright new physical therapy space and embraces those who’ve helped nurture her recovery.

Tracii is 12 years old. She is lovely, with dark eyes and a warm smile. Other than a small brace on her foot, there is no other visual hint of her former injuries. As she grows into a young woman, Tracii’s life won’t look exactly like her peers. Her medical needs will be different.

But she doesn’t have to miss a beat.

“I believe her life will inspire people,” Tanica says.

After all, Tracii knows something about overcoming.

And she’s ready to take on the world.

**Johns Hopkins All Children’s is the #1 ranked children’s hospital in Florida and the only nationally ranked children’s hospital in Tampa Bay, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals.

*Presented by: Johns Hopkins All Children's