Susan Dyke recovered well from a head-on car crash in 2020 that left her with a broken sternum, a shattered ankle and at least 10 broken ribs. Metal rods and screws stabilized her ankle, the incisions were stitched up and she started recovering from the painful injuries.

“I healed well and went about my life,” said Susan, 74, who retired in 2015 after three decades as the charge nurse on the second floor at Tobey Hospital in Wareham, her hometown.

But she had not recovered fully, and what happened next would cause her pain for several years – until she found help with Tobey Makepeace Wound Care.

About two years ago, Susan noticed a dime-sized red spot on the ankle that had been surgically repaired after the crash. The spot did not hurt, but it did not go away and – despite treatment – her condition worsened over the coming months.

Lesions appeared all over her body, except for her face. She met with dermatologists and allergists, but did not get any answers. “Nobody knew what was happening,” she said. “My skin would peel off. It was disgusting. Nobody knew how to fix it.”

A former co-worker told Susan that Tobey Hospital had opened Makepeace Wound Care in August 2023. It is one of three wound care centers Southcoast Health operates in partnership with Healogics, the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services which recently recognized Southcoast Health Wound Care as a Center of Distinction.

Susan walked into the office of Dr. Pilar Alonso, Medical Director of Wound Care for Southcoast Health, in November 2023. “I want to help you,” Dr. Alonso said.

Because there was no open wound, Dr. Alonso decided to do a vascular study to check blood flow to her extremities to determine if there was a circulatory problem. But as soon as the blood pressure cuff was inflated, Susan felt “agonizing pain, throbbing pain.”

She was admitted to Tobey Hospital, where surgeons discovered a severe staph infection that had turned septic. One of the surgeons told Susan she was lucky to still have her leg.

Blood cultures and other tests determined what kind of antibiotics would be administered intravenously. She spent nearly three weeks in the hospital from mid-November into early December, followed by rehabilitation at the Sippican Health Care Center in Marion.

“I was wheelchair-bound. I couldn’t walk,” Susan said.

She returned home in December with help from the Southcoast Health Visiting Nurse Association, which followed the treatment plan prescribed by Dr. Alonso and the wound care team. Every Wednesday for 20 weeks, she went for wound vac dressing changes to her ankle. Dr. Alonso and her nursing team made weekly assessments and treatment plans that they communicated to the Southcoast VNA. Susan got better and was discharged from Dr. Alonso’s care in April 2024.

“Dr. Alonso, I call her my angel. She is a caring, funny, warm and wonderful person,” Susan said. “Her staff is amazing. Had Dr. Alonso not taken me as a patient, I cannot imagine the outcome, and I’m forever grateful.”

While Susan has recovered from the infection, she still faces challenges. The injuries she suffered in the crash still cause pain. But she’s no longer on antibiotics and pain medication, and she’s looking forward to spending time with her first great-granddaughter.

Susan is grateful to every single person who helped her, including the people who prepared her meals and cleaned her room. “The people at the wound care center will take care of you like a parent, a grandparent. That helps your healing. That provides comfort. A wonderful place, and wonderful people.”

For more information on Makepeace Wound Care services and locations, visit Wound Care Fall River, New Bedford & Wareham MA | Southcoast Health.