Cardinal call proves good medicine

Twelve-year-old Vivian Badillo rested silently in a Cape Girardeau hospital bed, recovering from a fractured skull and blood clot. But the mention of St. Louis Cardinals baseball did what her surgeon couldn't do: Get her talking again.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Joel Ray operated on the girl early Monday at Saint Francis Medical Center.

Ray said the girl wasn't talking on Tuesday -- a day after surgery -- except on the subject of Cardinal baseball. "She hadn't really been talking to me," he said.

Ray said he immediately called his friend, Southeast Missouri State University baseball coach Mark Hogan. Ray asked Hogan to talk to the girl about Cardinals baseball.

"I handed the phone to the girl and she starts jabbering away," recalled Ray. "This kid is now talking. It's like magic medicine."

On Wednesday, she got another dose of the "medicine" -- a phone call from former Cardinals catcher Tom Pagnozzi.

Hogan arranged the phone call on his cell phone at the request of Ray.

Vivian, her head bandaged from surgery, talked to Pagnozzi for about five minutes as she sat on her hospital bed.

During the call, Pagnozzi invited Vivian and her family, who live in Steele, Mo., to attend a Cardinals game.

Vivian was hit on the left side of her skull by a rock thrown by a boy about 7 p.m. Sunday along their gravel street in the small Pemiscot County town.

She was taken to a hospital in Kennett, Mo., where a CAT scan showed a blood clot beneath the skull but outside of the brain. The girl was transferred by ambulance to St. Francis Medical Center.

She arrived at the Cape Girardeau hospital about 3 a.m. Monday. About two hours later, Ray performed surgery to remove the growing blood clot.

While a fan of Cardinal baseball, Vivian shook her head when Hogan asked if she had ever heard of Pagnozzi.

"Tom was an all-star catcher," Hogan told her as he sat on the edge of her hospital bed. "He is a good buddy of mine."

Hogan also brought her a Cardinals Game Day program from Monday's season opener at the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis, a baseball signed by Southeast's baseball team and a Redhawks baseball cap.

Pagnozzi, who lives in Fayetteville, Ark., talked to Vivian about her favorite ball players -- Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and Chris Carpenter.

Vivian listened quietly during the conversation, saying little. Even after the call, she had little to say other than to comment on when she could go to a Cardinals game. "He said as soon as I get well," she said, quickly becoming silent again.

Surrounded by friends and family, she thumbed through the Cardinals game day program. A broad smile creased her face.

That was good enough for Ray, who had shown up during the phone call from Pagnozzi to check on his patient. He grinned as he left the room.

Late Wednesday afternoon, the hospital discharged Vivian. A hospital spokesman said she would be home in time to watch the Cardinals game.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, ext. 123