Shriners Hospitals Changes Patient’s Life (NAPSA)—Joslin Bennett’s entire life changed on Aug. 14, 1998. On the way home from a party, the car in which 16-year-old “Josi” was a passengerhit two trees at a high rate of speed. The impact pushed the car’s engine into the passenger compartment, severing Josi’s right leg—and the car caughtfire. By the time Josi was rescued, the fire had burnedoff herleft leg as well. In addition, her shoulders were broken, her right elbow was shattered, she had several broken ribs and a collapsed lung. She was taken to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and her condition was critical. Fortunately, she began to stabilize and two weeks after the accident, she was transferred to the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Erie, Pa., for extensive care and rehabilitation, where she established a close bond with her physical therapist, Tricia Mahoney. “Trish made be feel like I was number one,” Josi recalls. “She made life fun and suddenly my therapy was not a chore. I wanted to learn to walk again because of Trish. She cared about me so much. I wanted to do it for her.” About a year after her accident, Josi was back at Shriners for Josi Bennett, a former patient, and her husband Spencer, brought toys to the patients at the Erie Shriners Hospital. Now it is Josi’s turn to give something back to the Erie Shriners Hospital. This past Christmas, Josi and her husband, Spencer, raised $1,000 that they used to buy toys for hospital patients. “This is my way to saying ‘thank you’ to Shriners Hospitals,” Josi explains. “I can’t think of a better organization.” For more information on Shriners’ network of 22 hospitals that provide medical care and ser- vices totally free of charge to chil- dren with orthopaedic problems, surgery on herleft leg. A revision in burns and spinal cord injuries, write to: Shriners International her walkingability. Tampa, FL 33607, or visit the Web the length of what remained of the leg was neededin order to enhance “Everyone at the hospital was outstanding,” says Josi. Even the women who work in the hospital’s cafeteria occupy a special place in her heart. “They would make me steak and shrimp because they knew it was something I would eat. They made mefeel very special.” Headquarters, Public Relations Dept., 2900 Rocky Point Dr., site at www.shrinershq.org. Treat- mentis provided to children under age 18 without regard to race, religion or relationship to a Shriner. If you know a child Shriners can help, call 1-800-237-5055 in the United States, or 1-800-3617256 in Canada.
