Jinny Vaughn

Before her illness, a typical week for Jinny Vaughn consisted of working and spending time with her three-year-old granddaughter. While cleaning her windows one afternoon, Jinny began to experience upper back pain, chest pain, and extreme weakness in her arms. Once her chest pain improved, her arm weakness worsened to the point of being unable to care for herself. After three days, Jinny went to the Baptist Health Floyd emergency room for further testing.

The tests revealed that Jinny had three abscesses on her spine that required surgical removal, which resulted in a rather large scar down her back. If Jinny had waited much longer, she would have gone septic and possibly lost her life. Jinny was very thankful to Dr. Serak and his team for working diligently on her case.

Jinny’s daughter, Dara, decided Southern Indiana Rehab Hospital (SIRH) would be an excellent choice for her mother. Dara works as a nurse at Baptist Health Floyd and previously worked at SIRH as a CNA. Dara noted that she enjoyed working at SIRH and wanted her mother to have “the best care possible.” Jinny’s familial connection to SIRH also includes her father, who worked at SIRH as a security guard.

Jinny expressed her satisfaction with the care she received at SIRH, stating, “The entire staff has been wonderful and kind.” She added, “Dr. Aggarwal is amazing and came to check on me almost every single day. I can also look back and laugh with the therapists now.”

Reflecting on what got her through a challenging ordeal, Jinny noted the influence of her granddaughter, who would visit, pat Jinny’s hand, and tell her, “It’s going to be okay ShayShay.”

Jinny looks forward to going home, taking her granddaughter for ice cream, and playing with her again. “Success is what you make of it,” Jinny said. “And to me, that’s having my family around me.”

After a quality experience at SIRH, Jinny plans to return in the future for additional rehabilitation when she undergoes knee replacement surgery.