As many people do, Jill Fjelstul took to the area trails on a visit to Decorah, her childhood home. The outing, which she classified as more of a “stroll” than a “hike: took a turn when her foot slipped and she fell on the side of hill, near the switchbacks above Pulpit Rock Campground. “I immediately knew this wasn’t good. My foot was going one way and my leg another way. The pain was excruciating!” Jill recalls. Her friend called 911 and set off to the road to lead responders to the scene, and Jill waited in agony. “I was alone on the side of the hill when I heard a motorized vehicle on the trail to the campground. The motor stopped and I yelled for help. Only in a small town does a person who has been gone many years recognize the voice on the other end,” says Jill.
That person was Luke Cote returning to the campground after an errand. Luke works at the campground, and as luck would have it, was a childhood friend of Jill’s. He says, “I heard a call for help, but didn’t immediately know where it was coming from. I called back out to determine the location of the person, and heard in response ‘Luke, is that you?’”
Luke reached Jill and was able to provide his jacket as a pillow, but did not have emergency supplies to tend her other needs. Jill says, “I recall thinking as soon as Luke arrived by my side that I would be ok. Miraculously, he was there, and I knew emergency crews were on their way. I think I passed out from pain soon after Luke found me.”
Jill recalls very little else from the scene of the accident, other than she “came to” with a group of responders hovering over her. Luke says, “I backed out of the way as fire, law and paramedics arrived. They used off-road equipment to safely move Jill off the hill and to the trail below. I helped when asked as they transferred her from the ATV to the ambulance and then they were off to the hospital.”
Due to her extreme pain in the Emergency department, Jill underwent immediate surgery to repair her ankle, tibia and fibula, performed by Thomas Marquardt, D.P.M., Mayo Clinic Health System foot and ankle surgeon at WinnMed. After a short hospital stay, Jill returned to her mother’s home in Decorah to begin recovery. Two weeks later, Jill was back in central Florida in a cast and with a walker, with strict orders of no weight on the left leg for 8-12 weeks.
“I consulted with my primary care doctor in Florida to facilitate a referral to an orthopedic specialist near my home, but that proved to be more difficult than expected,” says Jill. “However, the closed doors in Florida turned out to be a blessing. I called WinnMed to discuss the situation and decided to return to Iowa for follow-up care with Dr. Marquardt, Liz (RN) and the team in Decorah.” She adds, “I felt immediate peace knowing the people who put me back together after the accident would see my recovery through, and I had total trust that they would take care of me.”
Jill returned to Decorah four weeks and eight weeks-post accident for follow-up appointments. Her first visit included a reconnection with Luke where they were able to talk and laugh about their past adventures as kids. “What a way to reconnect,” says Jill, sharing that she and Luke had spent so much time outdoors together as kids. “It was no coincidence that Luke was the first person to find me on the trail.”
She says, “I want to express my extreme gratitude to all who played a crucial role throughout my whole ordeal, from the 911 operator, Luke’s comforting words on the trails, Decorah’s first responders onsite, to the WinnMed staff at the hospital, and to the steadfast love and support from family and friends. All have directly influenced my healing to-date.”
Jill, a college professor, scholar and public speaker in the hospitality industry, also viewed her experience through a professional lens. She says, “I noticed and appreciated the exemplary guest service management skillset extended to me at every touch point, knowing full well how bad my injury was. We all know the negative influence of stress on our body, mind and soul, and I unequivocally attribute my current healing to everyone on call that day and beyond.”
