Barrett Recalls Life-Changing Ride

Mercy Health System of Northwest Arkansas president and CEO Susan Barrett knows what it’s like on the other side of the health care industry.
On an unusually cool Saturday morning in July of 2004, Barrett and her husband, Rex, jumped on their Honda Goldwing motorcycle and headed to Harrison for some Natural State wonders offered by the countryside.
“We had stopped at McDonald’s for a cup of coffee and we jumped back on the cycle,” Barrett said. “He asked me if I was cold, and I said. ‘Yeah, I could use my jacket that was in the saddle bag.’
“Then, he said, ‘I’ll turn off up here at the car lot,’ and that’s actually the last thing I remember.”
The couple was hit by a farm truck loaded with feed, totaling the motorcycle and nearly them with it.
When Barrett finally came to about three weeks later — she initially was given about a 10 percent chance to live — she was surrounded by family and the friendly faces of the Intensive Care Unit at St. John’s in Springfield, Mo., the hospital where she was life flighted.
Pointing from her nose to her right knee, Barrett said she was, “broken from here to here,” adding that she considers it a blessing she can’t recall the actual accident.
An even bigger blessing came during recovery. She spent 60 days receiving “excellent care” at St. John’s while learning to walk, eat and even “think” again.
Remarkably, she returned to work at St. Mary’s six months after the accident, sharper than ever and optimistic about the future.
Experiencing the other side of health care is something Barrett will never forget. It taught her the importance of compassion toward patients, something she says will follow her to the new facility when the move from St. Mary’s is made in January of 2008.
And even though she can’t remember the accident, she’ll never forget the support that shined in her direction afterwards.
“When we got out of the hospital, we brought all the cards back with us in a box,” said Barrett, wiping a single tear away from her right eye. “The support from the people of Northwest Arkansas still touches me very deeply … it was unbelievable.”