Miracle man
UF Health Jacksonville honored Brett Parks and the heroes who saved his life at the annual Night for Heroes gala
By Tiffany Wilson
Brett Parks and his wife Susan, during his stay at UF Health Jacksonville
Three doctors’ hands are inside Brett Parks’ open stomach, trying to use pressure to stop the bleeding. Still, the bleeding won’t stop. A bullet had pierced his intestines and traveled downward, destroying several inches of his inferior vena cava, the body’s largest vein.
Fortunately, James Dennis, M.D., is not only a trauma surgeon, but also UF Health Jacksonville’s chief of vascular surgery. He activated a massive transfusion protocol, which directs the hospital’s blood bank to send coolers of blood to the O.R. every 15 minutes. The doctors finally cut through the iliac artery that covers the hard-to-reach vena cava, tying the artery and pushing it out of the way. It halted blood flow to Parks’ right leg, but at last gave them the access they needed to stop the bleeding.
Parks, a personal trainer, never expected to face death the night he went to an apartment complex to meet a client in October 2012. But he had to act when he heard screams for help. He chased down a mugger and caught him. Then he was shot. Lying on the ground, Brett, who’s also a U.S. Navy air crewman, thought he would die without meeting his unborn daughter. His wife, Susan, was seven months pregnant, and they had a 17-month-old son.
Luckily, a UF Health resident heard the gunshot and cared for Parks while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. He was taken to UF Health Jacksonville, North Florida’s only adult and pediatric Level 1 trauma center.
Kept in a medical coma for weeks, Brett returned to surgery more than a dozen times, losing a kidney and part of his colon. The muscles in his lower leg died, stressing his remaining kidney. Susan was told amputating would be his best shot at survival.
“You do whatever you need to do to keep him alive,” she told doctors.
Brett was in luck again in the O.R.: Orthopedic surgeon Hud Berrey, M.D., has 35 years of experience, including war zone amputations and eight years in charge of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Amputee Clinic. Parks’ below-the-knee amputation would make a world of difference in his mobility.
“He would have lost the leg above the knee 99 times out of 100. But I’ve done this a few times before,” Berrey said.
Brett and Susan Parks and their two children: Jason and Stella
When Brett finally woke from the coma, he refused to be called a hero. To him, the more than 370 UF Health employees who played a role in saving his life were the heroes. To thank them, he vowed to appreciate his second chance. He started Second Shot Ministry to tell his story as a motivational speaker.
“I feel like God has had his hands in this from the very beginning,” he said.
After surgeries and rehab and physical therapy, Parks finally went home in early 2013. His daughter, Stella, was born in December 2012. Susan said she’s proud of Brett’s attitude and can’t wait to see what he does next.
“Now Jason has someone to play ball with, Stella has someone to walk her down the aisle and I have someone to grow old with,” she said. “What more could you ask for?”