25 Years of Excellence in Trauma and Emergency Care

Coby was just 18 years old when he dove into the shallow end of a swimming pool and lost sensation from the neck down. After being rushed to North Memorial Health – Robbinsdale Hospital by ambulance, he was quickly moved to the Operating Room for emergency surgery.

When he set the goal to walk out of the hospital on his own, the care team knew that was an ambitious objective—so they got to work! Two months of relentless effort saw Coby leave with just a cane for support. He was so inspired by his experience with our trauma team that he eventually became one of them! After finishing his studies, he returned to North Memorial Health as an RN and today serves as a Nurse Manager.

When the car Tom was riding in hit a stoplight, the passenger side where he sat was ripped open. While he doesn’t remember much of his first weeks at North Memorial Health – Robbinsdale Hospital, he eventually awoke to find that he had lost his leg. Through a months-long inpatient recovery and a continuing journey to learn to walk with his prosthetic, both he and his husband, Dean, chose optimism over despair, have stayed positive and are grateful that Tom survived.

They now make sure to live life to the fullest—travelling the world and enjoying every moment with their friends and family. Additionally, as he met other survivors and learned about the challenges they face, he put his lobbying skills to a new use, advocating for prosthetic limb accessibility for everyone who needs it.

Lydia and her friends were out enjoying a carefree, sunny afternoon on a Minnesota lake when the driver lost control of their boat, and they crashed into the rocky shoreline. Lydia was quickly airlifted to North Memorial Health – Robbinsdale Hospital with internal bleeding and a severe knee injury.

With the support of her mother, our specialized nurses and our trauma rehab team, Lydia eventually was able to regain use of her leg and return to college. The ordeal has helped their family grow even closer, allowing them to cherish every shared moment.

Kirk was involved in a traumatic diving accident that broke his neck on Lake Minnetonka in 2015 and required critical care quickly. He was airlifted to North Memorial Health – Robbinsdale Hospital, where the trauma team’s expertise and coordinated response ensured Kirk received the acute care he needed to save his life while he and his wife, Melissa, navigated a new future alongside their newborn.

Today, he is the proud father of two beautiful daughters and continues to work towards his ultimate goal of holding them both on his own.

Andrea and her father, David, were driving home on a typical evening when a deer flew through their windshield. As David checked on his daughter, he realized that she was severely injured and wasn’t breathing. She was immediately air lifted to North Memorial Health – Robbinsdale Hospital. When her care team struggled to wake her out of a coma, a special nurse stepped in to provide the comfort and healing touch that Andrea needed to regain consciousness.

From that moment, Andrea’s determination and strength led the way through a yearlong recovery. She exceeded everyone’s expectations, eventually playing competitive sports again and recently making the Dean’s List at the University of Minnesota!