A Ride of a Lifetime

When newlyweds picture their first year of marriage, most don’t expect to fulfill the “in sickness and health” vow almost immediately. Candi Poe Smith had the ride of a lifetime in 2023 when she met her husband Wally while singing karaoke. They quickly fell in love and four and half months later, on Thanksgiving Day, they were married at nearby Rock City and were excited to start a new chapter together.

Exactly one month later, two days before Christmas, their lives drastically changed, this time for the worse.

While driving her Harley Davidson, something she has enjoyed doing for almost two decades, Candi lost air pressure in the back tire and crashed, causing numerous fractures including several vertebrae, pelvis, hip, several ribs, humerus, and wrist.

After extensive surgery and a short stay at Erlanger, she transferred into Siskin Hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation program. Though she was still non-weight bearing, her therapists focused on teaching her how to maneuver within her limitations.

“During the beginning of her treatment, she could barely tolerate sitting on the side of the bed due to the pain,” said one of her primary therapists Brett Fielder, PT, DPT. “Once she saw her progress, she quickly became very motivated in her treatment and also encouraging for the other patients.”

Throughout her inpatient treatment, she became close with her entire care team, saying they treated her and her husband like family. Each department made her feel just as important, just as seen, and just as heard as the last.

“To be as hurt as I was, to have such a positive experience means more than you can ever know,” she said.  

Not only did the team at Siskin Hospital support Candi, they also supported her husband Wally during her treatment. From Environmental Services and Security, to the nursing staff and therapists, they all rallied around this couple to show that Siskin Hospital is full of Caring People. Changing Lives.  

“It was really great to see how supportive Wally was of Candi. The caregiver and family support are crucial when dealing with an injury of this magnitude. He took it all in stride and wanted to learn how help her, especially when she got to go home,” said Fielder.

Candi continued to progress so well during her treatment that her discharge date was moved up.

“She had a bit of a hard time with that. We had to build up her confidence and remind her that she could safely go home,” said Fielder.

Candi knew that she wanted to continue her therapy with one of Siskin Hospital’s outpatient clinics to have consistency with her treatment and show loyalty to the team that pushed her to succeed.

A few weeks after her discharge and being cleared for weight bearing activities, she surprised her therapists with a visit.

“She was walking down the hall carrying a box of donuts. It was exciting to see because when patients have those restrictions, we don’t always get to see them up and moving during their treatment,” said Fielder.

“The people truly care about you. Just because you discharge, doesn’t mean they forget about you,” said Candi.

While motorcycles were a huge part of her life for many years, she is still unsure if she will ever ride again. She knows that she has the physical ability to try one day because of the treatment she received from Siskin Hospital.

Now, less than six months after accident, Candi is walking without support, jogging, driving, and keeping up with her young grandchildren. She continues her outpatient treatment, getting better with each session, and still stops by to say hi to her Siskin Hospital family. 

“I can’t thank the people at Siskin Hospital enough. They were all truly amazing,” said Candi.