Chelsea Schaefer, RN, Hannah Stedgee, RN, and Courtney Waldhuetter, PT, share a unique bond - all three survived devastating burns as young women and all three now work together at the very burn center where they received their care.
The Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Regional Burn Center, was established in 1959, and is a state-of-the-art facility located at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital - Milwaukee Campus. One of two regional burn centers in Wisconsin, the Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Regional Burn Center serves patients primarily from eastern Wisconsin, northern Illinois and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Its compassionate, multidisciplinary care team, including experienced doctors, surgeons, nurses, therapists and psychologists, provide burn patients with advanced treatment options to help improve survival and quality of life.
Healing from a serious injury is challenging. All three of these clinicians understand how difficult that is but they also know how hard work can lead to healing - the mind, body and spirit. Chelsea, Hannah and Courtney were so grateful for the high-quality care they received, they were inspired to pay it forward and find a way to help others who find themselves facing similar life-changing injuries.
While they were patients, they said their care team felt like family and they said now that they’re part of that team, it still holds true. Hannah tells FOX6, the care team members gave her hope and were the family she needed 24/7 while she was a patient. She, Courtney and Chelsea are grateful to be able to represent that hope now for their patients.
Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s patients are lucky to have access to these exceptional clinicians and benefit from their expertise and understanding. Healing from burn injuries can be a long process and because of that many survivors become close to their caregivers. Some stay in contact for years, and some even come back to care for those who need them most.
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