LETTERS: SAVING SON'S EYE WAS A MIRACLE

To the editor:

On Aug. 18, 1996, while my 10-year-old son, Josh, was spending the night with a friend, I received the phone call every mother fears: My son was on his way to the hospital with a fish hook in his eye.

As I rushed to meet him there, I tried to prepare myself for what I was going to see so I could be strong for my son. But nothing could have prepared me, and I broke down as soon as I saw him, despite his assurances that he was OK.

For me, the reality of the situation was harsh. Josh had a 2 1/2-inch-long fish hook embedded in his left eye, and there was a strong possibility that this eye could not be saved. Everyone in the emergency room was in complete disbelief as we all watched helplessly as Josh tried not to blink. The doctor admitted an injury like this was out of his league, and he referred us to St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

Dr. David Westrich was the doctor on call at St. Francis, and he was there to meet us when we arrived at the hospital late that night. Our first ray of hope came when Dr. Westrich was examining Josh and said, "At least it's in a good place if your are going to have a hook in your eye."

Josh was in surgery for what seemed like eternity. In my mind, I was convinced that there was no way the eye could be saved, although I was praying that Dr. Westrich was somehow going to work a miracle and save my son's eye.

Hours later, Dr. Westrich emerged from surgery with the most wonderful news: Josh was doing fine, and his eye had been saved, although there were still risks.

Thanks to Dr. Westrich, Josh still has two beautiful blue eyes and his vision. Words will never be able to express the gratitude I have for Dr. Westrich. He gave me hope when I thought all hope was lost. He could have just as easily decided to remove the eye, and I would have never known the difference. But he, in my opinion, went above and beyond all of our expectations, and we will never be able to thank him enough.

Along the road to recovery, there have been some setbacks, but with the help of Dr. Westrich we have gotten through them. Today, Josh is doing wonderfully.

Thank you, Dr. Westrich, from the bottom of my heart for saving Josh's eye.

SHERRI TATE

Bloomfield