In February, Chris Campbell survived a harrowing crash while battling wildfires in northwest Oklahoma. The Rosston volunteer firefighter and two fellow firemen, Randy Masters and Jake Edwards, flipped their firetruck into a canyon in Harper County.
In February, Chris Campbell survived a harrowing crash while battling wildfires in northwest Oklahoma. The Rosston volunteer firefighter and two fellow firemen, Randy Masters and Jake Edwards, flipped their firetruck into a canyon in Harper County.
“We turned to get on the fire line and it was almost immediate. You could see fire and nothing but smoke. I slammed on the brakes and stuck it in reverse. That's when everything went south. It felt like we rolled two or three times,” Campbell remembers. “I tried to kick the windshield out to escape and that’s when the flames started coming in the cab. All I could do was just curl up in a ball and pray to the good Lord, that he'd get me out of there, get me out of that situation. And he answered.”
Campbell sustained second and third degree burns to his arms and hands. He was taken to the INTEGRIS Health Paul Silverstein Burn Center at INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. “He was in our burn center for 28 days,” explains William Nechtow, D.O., a critical care surgeon at INTEGRIS Health. “He underwent several surgeries and skin grafts that required multiple units of blood.”
In all, Campbell received 18 units of packed red blood cells and two units of fresh frozen plasma. Fresh frozen plasma is delivered by Our Blood Institute, the local blood supplier, to INTEGRIS Health so it’s on hand when emergencies occur. When needed, the hospital blood bank quickly thaws the plasma in a water bath so it can be given to the patient without delay.
“That kind of care is only possible because donors give before the emergency ever happens,” says Dr. John Armitage, the president and CEO of Our Blood Institute. “Every unit on the shelf represents someone who took the time to help a patient they may never meet.”
Nechtow says the availability of blood products is vital to the type of care they are able to provide. “We couldn’t do the work we do without readily available blood donations.” Click here to watch video story.
For Campbell, he’s just happy to be back home and hopes to eventually be back at the fire station. “My healing continues. I’m working on stretching and strengthening in
occupational therapy,” he says. “But God has given me a servant’s heart, so I can’t wait to get back at fighting fires.”
He adds, “God saved all three of us for a reason. I’m trying very carefully to listen and pay attention to what he's telling me to do.” He thanks his wife, Brittney and their daughters for their continued strength and support.
Blood donors play an important role in stories like Campbell’s. To help ensure patients have the blood they need when it matters most, schedule a donation here.
