“Not a day goes by that we are not grateful that Inova saved two of our family members,” says Heather Schone, a local mom of four. “We know that many families do not have the outcomes we had, so we are thankful. And, if we can give back in any small way, it’s truly our honor.”
Several years ago, Heather’s husband, Lance, suffered a stroke and was saved by the quick thinking of his family and a team of providers at Inova Fairfax.
Just six weeks later, on the first day Lance returned to work, the Schones’ six-year-old son Bensten was sledding when he was hit by a car. Izzy, then 12, alerted their mother and called 911.
Bensten was airlifted from McLean to Inova L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital. Even 10 years later, Izzy recalls turning up the volume on the family’s television to drown out the sound of the helicopter.
After 12 days at Inova, Bensten moved to an in-patient rehabilitation clinic, where he had to relearn everything, from walking and talking to breathing and swallowing. Now 17, he leads a normal life. “There probably aren’t words to express my full gratitude,” Bensten says. “Everyone we met with [at Inova] are superheroes in my eyes.”
“He wasn’t supposed to walk again, and now he’s a cross-country runner,” Heather says. “He’s the fastest runner in his school as of right now.”
The gratitude that gushes from the Schones as they recount their journey doesn’t come in just words. They have organized holiday toy drives for many years and were early participants in the Inova StarKid 5K. This year, Bensten took second place in the annual race to benefit Inova, and the family is already planning for next year’s 20th anniversary community event.
As for big sister Izzy, Bensten’s experience led to a career. She recently completed one year of work as a registered nurse at Inova Children’s Emergency Room at Fairfax Hospital, where her brother’s life was saved.
Working in the most comprehensive pediatric emergency department in the region, Izzy now benefits from extensive continuing education and training. Funded through generous gifts, this ensures that the entire pediatrics team feels prepared—as it was on the day of Bensten’s accident—for whatever emergency comes their way.
“Every time I go to work, I think ‘if I can do an ounce of what those doctors and nurses did for my family, it’ll be a success,’” she says. “We had two family members destined to die, and they didn’t because of Inova.”