Sumter family praises Prisma Health team members for their care of entire family

This is a story about family: A husband and wife, completely devoted to each other. Their daughters: happy childhood, best friends. Their darkest days: five ER visits, several surgeries and hospital stays in one season.

"It's been the worst six months that any little four-person family can endure," daughter Catherine Hanson said. "My parents have always been healthy, and we had never experienced anything like this."

During that stressful time, however, their family grew. It now includes friends and neighbors who were there when they were needed and Prisma Health hospital teams across the Midlands who took great care of them, who treated them like they would their own families and made their physical suffering a little more bearable.

Christine and Arthur Kirkley have been married for 51 years. He told her in 1968, "No matter what, I will always be with you."

In October 2019, Arthur had to break that promise and, despite the fact that he was having a stroke, all he could think about was that he'd told his wife he wouldn't leave her while she was a patient in the hospital.

"He was so worried about my mom," Catherine said.

Beverly Foraker, manager of the Acute Rehab department at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital, was well aware.

"The whole time he was struggling and being taken to the emergency room, his major concern was his wife - and her sole concern was for him. They're just the sweetest people."

Mrs. Kirkley began to experience health issues in May. In October, she was admitted to the Acute Rehab floor for some physical therapy. Her husband was with her every day.

"One afternoon," Beverly said, "one of our nurses, Michele Flagler, who is a friend of the family, was visiting Christine on our floor. Mr. Kirkley was there, trying to help his wife eat, but he wasn't able to coordinate getting the food to her. He had a headache and couldn't get his right hand to do what he wanted it to do."

Michelle knew he was in trouble. She contacted Beverly immediately, and Beverly took Mr. Kirkley to the emergency room.

"When I got in there, he was very emotional. He had felt this way for several days but hadn't said anything because he was so concerned about his wife. He didn't want to leave her. It was so touching. But Christine convinced him he had to go get checked out, for her."

Beverly wheeled Mr. Kirkley down to the ER, and they processed him in quickly. He was tearful and nervous, but Beverly told him she wasn't going to leave him alone.

"He was so worried about his wife. I assured him we were taking great care of her. I wanted him to concentrate on himself, but his own needs were the last thing on his mind."

Beverly said she was so proud of the Emergency Department team. She stayed with him throughout the CT process, helping to keep him calm. The scan showed a bleed.

"We had no more gotten back to the hallway when the doctor and nurse came from the ED and met us at the door," Beverly said. "Dr. Christopher Munger and nurse Eric Capell were so quick and did such a wonderful job."

Mr. Kirkley was sent immediately to Prisma Health Baptist Hospital for surgery.

"Having both parents in two hospitals in two different cities was rough, but we were amazed at how smoothly everything went and how wonderful the nurses and doctors were," Catherine said.

Her sister, Kimberly Avery, stayed with her mom while Catherine went to Columbia to be with her dad.

"Beverly Foraker stayed with my father until my sister was able to get to Tuomey," Catherine said. "We were so grateful. And the ER has been nothing short of fabulous. They have shown so much concern and professionalism. There was never a delay in my mother or father's care, and we have been there five times in six months!"

She explained that Mrs. Kirkley had open heart surgery in May, developed ventricular tachycardia, a heart rhythm disorder caused by abnormal electrical signals in the lower chambers of the heart, a month later, was sent to Tuomey and then to the Prisma Health Heart Hospital in Columbia. ("We love Dr. Patrick McCann and Dr. Roosevelt Gilliam!" she said.)

Mrs. Kirkley later had another heart event and was taken to Tuomey by ambulance.

"She had what was called a 'v-tach storm' in the ER. Dr. Scot Dilts was absolutely wonderful. He called Dr. Gilliam, and they got her defibrillator straight right away."

About two months later, the family began to worry about Mrs. Kirkley's quality of life because she was having trouble walking. They ultimately realized it was connected to a medicine she was taking; she was sent by her primary care physician to a rehabilitation center in Florence. While there, she had another v-tach episode.

"She ended up back in the hospital for nine days," Catherine said. When the hospital sent her to rehab in Florence, Catherine said no.

"My family needed to be home. It was time for the whole family to get some rest. We were so excited to get her back to the Tuomey Acute Rehab floor."

She praised the teams in the ICU and Acute Rehab physical rehabilitation physicians Bharath Reddy and Diana Whiteman, who would "come to my mother's side and not try to talk to her from across the room." She said Dr. Reddy "took time to explain things to my mother in a way that she could understand. I really loved that he spent so much time with her."

"Our faith helped get us through this, and we continue to lean on God to get us through each day," Kimberly said. "And they received so much support from their own families and friends. We are thankful that they were so supportive and caring through this very hard time. I feel that they all should be thanked, along with all the staff at Prisma Health that cared for them both, numerous times."

"My mother and father have been extraordinary parents," Catherine said. "We had a wonderful childhood, and they have taken care of us for 44 and 50 years, so it's time for us to take care of them."