|Photo by Derek Redd| Kimmy Odell, in bed, is in her second week at Seneca Rehabilitation Hospital recovering from a traumatic brain injury. With her are, from left, Director of Nursing Lisa Fordyce, Rowena Cochran and registered nurse Jacki Fletcher.

When Tomasz Jankowski, CEO at Seneca Rehabilitation Hospital, first looked at Kimmy Odell’s case, his decision was almost immediate – he would welcome this new patient with open arms.

It didn’t matter that Odell was a teenager and the hospital was more experienced in working with older patients. It didn’t matter that insurance might not compensate Seneca for Odell’s stay. There was an opportunity to help Odell recover from a serious head injury and do so minutes away from her family.

“I said we have to find a way to bring her in,” Jankowski said. “And I made the decision on the spot.”

Both Jankowski and Odell are happy that choice was made. Jankowski believes Odell has improved well beyond initial estimates, and Odell said that’s partly because the hard work and hours of rehabilitation every day are happening close to home.

Odell doesn’t remember much from the accident that injured her. It was June 3 and she was riding a motorized scooter. She was going fast and crashed into a fence. The next thing she remembered was someone calling for an ambulance.

Odell was taken to WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital in Morgantown for her initial treatment. She said doctors had to remove a piece of her skull three times to alleviate pressure on her brain. She lost mobility on the entire left side of her body.

Following her stay in Morgantown, she needed transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. The hospital that would be covered by insurance sat hours away from home. Odell, a Cadiz native, lives in Wheeling with her grandparents and her four siblings. The distance would be too much.

That’s when Jankowski and Seneca stepped in. Seneca is housed in the former Peterson Healthcare and Rehabilitation Hospital in Woodsdale, part of a partnership under the new owners. Peterson Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center handles skilled nursing and long-term care services, and Seneca Rehabilitation Hospital handles acute in-patient rehabilitation services.

Jankowski looked at Odell’s case and the family’s predicament and decided that, no matter what, Odell would have a place at Seneca.

“It was a very unfortunate accident and the circumstances that were surrounding the case — where the grandparents were taking care of her and other children, and were otherwise to be traveling to see her and stay with her 24/7 – was, to our team, unacceptable,” he said. “We wanted to bring her to the hospital here.”

So Odell was able to come home and begin the arduous process of rehabilitation. Daily rehab is broken up into three components: speech, physical and occupational. Odell lost movement on the left side of her face, so she’s working to regain full mobility there. She’s also regaining the ability to walk and perform everyday activities.

Odell is into her second week at Seneca, Jankowski said, and the progress has been significant.

“She is recovering very well,” he said. “She’s making progress. She’s very happy. She can see her brothers and sisters every day, her grandparents every day. So it’s been a big success story.”

Odell seeing her family so often has been a major motivator.

“They’re really supportive,” Odell said. “It’s just nice to know that all I have to do is get through therapy and I can see my family and relax.”

Jankowski also said that the Seneca staff has enjoyed working with Odell. It’s a new experience for many of them, who are used to helping much older patients.

Seneca and the insurance company have been working out particulars with compensation, Jankowski said, but he added that is secondary to helping Odell recover. He wants to see her back on her feet and wants that to show others in the Ohio Valley that Seneca is a place where people of all ages can come for rehabilitation services.

Odell is looking toward the future, too. The incoming WPHS senior wants to attend West Liberty University and study interior design. Jankowski said the Seneca staff are doing all they can to help make that happen.

“She’s very special to all of us,” he said. “It’s been nothing short of extraordinary.”