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PROFILE & HOSPITALS
HEALTH+Wellness
PROFILE HOSPITALS WELLNESS SLEEP FITNESS
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(From left): André, Julien, Charlie, and London Xavier.
PROFILE
BEATING THE ODDS
Given a three percent chance of survival, burn patient Charlie Xavier shares her powerful story.
By Kinsey Gidick | Photography by Ashley Cox
It was a freak accident. While building a new chalkboard for her sons last September, Charlie Xavier stumbled and dropped her sanding tool. The rest is a nightmare: Sparks triggered an explosion, and she was immediately engulfed in flames. The Charlottesville mother of two managed to stop, drop, and roll, but by the time she was medflighted to VCU Health Evans-Haynes Burn Center in Richmond, 85 percent of her body was severely burned, leaving her with a three percent chance of survival.
At the time, Charlie and her husband, André, were days away from opening Patch Brewing Company in Gordonsville while running C’ville Tours and raising their boys, London, 4, and Julien, 9 months. The brewery would have to wait.
André didn’t know if his wife of 14 years would make it. She was intubated, heavily medicated, and swathed in bandages from the neck down. And as she battled one infection after another, the team at VCU’s burn unit didn’t know either.
But Charlie was a fighter. “I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at 15 months old,” she recounts nearly a year later as her recovery continues. “So I’ve been in pain my whole life.” Fibromyalgia, a second diagnosis, was an additional complication. Now, facing a long recovery, she says, “I really do think that’s what prepared me for the pain that I would experience dealing with burns,” she says.
From VCU to Sheltering Arms
At VCU, as the days turned into weeks and months, André saw flashes of the old Charlie emerge. In October, she picked out London and Julien’s Halloween costumes from her hospital bed. In spite of the odds, her condition slowly began to stabilize. All in all, she underwent some 54 surgeries over six months at VCU’s burn center.
In March, she transitioned to Sheltering Arms Institute in Richmond for another three months of intense physical rehab. “I’d never seen a patient with the extent of Charlie’s injuries, let alone someone who survived such catastrophic burns,” marvels Dr. William Carter, Charlie’s physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at Sheltering Arms.
Her team there—physicians, physical and occupational therapists, medical psychologists, and therapeutic recreation specialists—rallied to develop a treatment plan. “She needed about three hours of wound care a day,” explains Dr. Carter, who adds that the Sheltering Arms team prepared for Charlie’s complex case by shadowing the experts at VCU prior to her arrival.
New-Tech Healing
While Charlie has beaten every obstacle thrown at her, her journey has not been without hiccups. With only 15 percent of healthy skin remaining, skin grafts became a dicey prospect. So the team at VCU used RECELL®, a spray-on treatment derived from her own skin cells to help healthy tissue regenerate.
But while this new technology jump-started the healing process, Dr. Carter explains that a simple ankle flex or knee bend—part of the physical therapy program at Sheltering Arms—would cause the new skin to tear, which was not only excruciating, but it also increased Charlie’s risk of infection. Additionally, her joints, stiff and swollen from living with rheumatoid arthritis, further complicated this already complicated case.
During her months at Sheltering Arms, “we were always negotiating, talking things through,” Dr. Carter says. “Her motivation was incredible. She had one goal: to get home to see her kids.” When the search for a home health agency to provide wound care proved insurmountable, Charlie took on the challenge and located specialists who would come to her once she was discharged.
Dr. Carter says Charlie’s drive speaks to the “strength of a mother’s bond.” She fiercely missed her children, whom she’d seen only sporadically in the eight months since her accident. Between pandemic restrictions and her precarious health, visits were strictly limited.
—Dr. William Carter
Family and friends welcomed Charlie back home after being discharged from the hospital. Charlie and André at Sheltering Arms on the day Charlie was discharged.
Cheering on Charlie
Discharged from Sheltering Arms in late May, Charlie says, “you just have to pull up your big girl panties and take it. Take it like a woman.” More surgeries lie ahead, with possibly more physical rehab. But at the moment, she’s relishing spending time with her husband and boys, reestablishing a routine, and enjoying the little things like watching her kids grow up.
André’s blog, Cheering on Charlie, continues to chronicle their collective journey. Part public update, part confessional, from day one André has shared every moment, even when the pressures seemed unfathomable. On the day she was discharged from Sheltering Arms, he wrote, “I dreamed, wished, hoped and prayed for, for this very specific moment, and the reality of today was beyond any of my dreams!”
To make sense of the unthinkable, the couple have co-written a book, I Almost Lost Her: A Memoir of Unthinkable Tragedy, released in September. Within the pain and frustration, they look for hope: that her wounds will heal, that she will learn to drive a modified vehicle, and that someday she will walk again.
Talk to Charlie for an hour and her overwhelming determination will win you over. Sure, recovery isn’t easy. “It’s going to take a while,” she says. “Patience is key.” But nobody’s second guessing her potential for a return to a normal life. Just look how far she’s come.
Kinsey Gidick is a writer based in Scottsville. Her work has been published in the Washington Post, The New York Times, and Garden & Gun magazine.
ENHANCE
SANCTUARY COSMETIC CENTER Soheila Rostami, MD, FAAO, FAACS
Sanctuary Cosmetic Center is a state-of-the-art body and face aesthetic center with locations in McLean, Reston, and Dulles. Led by Dr. Rostami, Sanctuary Cosmetic Center offers all the services clients desire in a warm, welcoming environment. Patients can receive both surgical and nonsurgical procedures at Sanctuary Cosmetic Center, including oculofacial cosmetic eyelid and facial surgery, CoolSculpting, DiamondGlow, chemical peels, dermal fillers, and Botox and Dysport injections. Other offerings include skin tightening and resurfacing, liquid face-lifts, liposuction, laser hair removal, liquid butt-lifts, and much more. Recently, the practice also began offering Morpheus8, Opus, and Renuva Treatments. Morpheus8 combines the best of microneedling, and radiofrequency and Opus uses RF technology to tighten and lift skin, as well as reduce scars and wrinkles, while Renuva is an alternative to autologous fat transfer, used to restore volume in the face, hands, and body. Expert in facial plastic surgery, Dr. Rostami has performed over 20,000 eyelid procedures, giving clients eye rejuvenation and a refreshed appearance. Besides offering her patients top-of-the-line care, Dr. Rostami is a fellowship director for the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, where she mentors a new fellow for one year at Sanctuary Cosmetic Center to help them grow their skill set as a facial plastic surgeon. She is also on the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. She also recently served as the president of the Medical Society of Northern Virginia for two years to support health care workers’ rights in 2020 and 2021.
Three Locations: 1650 Tysons Blvd, Suite 100, McLean, VA 22102 1860 Town Center Drive, Suite 250, Reston, VA 20190 24430 Stone Springs Blvd., Suite 240, Stone Ridge, VA 20166 703-893-3937 • SanctuaryCosmeticCenter.com
CHILDREN GUM HEALTH IS IMPORTANT FOR
September is National Gum Care Awareness Month, so now is the perfect time to teach your children about gum health. The more they can keep their gums healthy, the better their overall dental health will be throughout their lives.
What are the Gums For?
Your gums, also called the gingiva, are extremely important. They are the soft tissues that not only hold your teeth in place, they cover and protect the roots by providing a seal against disease-causing bacteria.
Good Gum Health Practices Can Help Prevent Gum Diseases
Almost half of all adults in the United States have periodontal, or gum, disease, a condition that if allowed to progress to its worst, can result in tooth loss. Even when gum disease is in its early stages it can cause problems like discomfort and pain, bad breath, or bleeding gums. There are a number of causes for gum disease. Dental plaque is one of them. Plaque is a sticky film that forms on your teeth’s surface. It starts as a clear film, then becomes visible within 12 hours. If not removed, it can harden and become tartar both on the teeth and under the gumline. The best plan of action is to teach your children about proper gum care and gum health. Children (and adults) should brush their teeth twice a day (morning and evening) with a softbristled toothbrush, and floss once a day. Twice yearly, they need to visit their pediatric dentist for a professional cleaning and examination. Children should be taught not to “scrub” their teeth or gums. Overzealous brushing can irritate the gums, causing them to become inflamed and damaged, or even wear away the gums, thus exposing the roots and allowing harmful bacteria and gum disease to take hold. Receding gums do not grow back, so it is important to start a good habit now.
Signs of gum disease can include: • Swollen or red gums • Bleeding gums when you brush or floss • Gum tenderness • Receding gums along the gumline • Pus in the gums • Loose tooth or teeth
How Young Should Good Gum Health Begin?
You should begin caring for your children’s oral health as soon as their first tooth appears—about 6 months of age. At around six years old, your child should be able to brush their teeth on their own. The best way to teach is to demonstrate on yourself the proper brushing methods. Then have your child practice while you are watching. Around two minutes is a recommended length of time to brush.
Insert fun into the brushing routine with a kid-friendly electric toothbrush and a flavored toothpaste. Electric toothbrushes have been shown to remove up to 21% more plaque than manual brushing and can help mitigate the instinct to scrub. They can also come with a built-in timer that turns the toothbrush off automatically after the two-minute optimal brushing time.
Smile Wonders Pediatric Dentistry Teaches Good Gum Health
At Smile Wonders, we want your children to be successful in their oral and gum health care, so we’ll be glad to teach you—and them—the proper way to care for their oral health. Beginning at age one, we’ll start working on healthy dental habits that will last your children a lifetime.
Our Reston, Virginia pediatric dentistry office provides a full range of pediatric dental services for children, including routine exams, preventive dental care, laser dentistry, sealants, fillings, crowns, laser tongue-tie and lip-tie correction, and more. To schedule your appointment, contact Smile Wonders at 571350-3663.
Dr. Rishita Jaju & Dr. Anh Dang Board Certified Pediatric Dentists (571) 350-3663
11790 Sunrise Valley Dr #105 Reston, VA 20191 www.smilewonders.com
(From left) Kyle Dean with Colton Tate Dean, Kyle Frederick with Dawson Cole Frederick, and Micheal Irvine with Carson Eugene Irvine.
THREE FIREMEN, THREE BABIES, ALL IN ONE DAY
Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center delivers for first responders.
WITH 10,000 BABIES born each day in the United States, what are the chances that three Fairfax County firefighters, colleagues at Station No. 465, would all welcome baby boys in the same hospital within 24 hours?
It happened at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center when the wives of firefighters Michael Irvine and Kyle Frederick, and fiancée of Kyle Dean went into labor within hours of each other.
“We are excited to welcome these little ones into the world,” the hospital announced on social media in February, sending a message of appreciation to the firefighters: “When you show up for your community, your community shows up for you.”
The men had become close friends while working together at the Fort Belvoir Army Base fire station over three years, and they’d joked about seeing each other at the hospital. But with their babies’ due dates ranging over a month apart, they never imagined the coincidence would actually happen. When two of the babies arrived early and one came late, all three fathers were thrilled. Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center has a five-star rating from Healthgrades for both C-sections and vaginal deliveries. “We are proud to have been recognized as delivering five-star level care for our maternal patients,” said David McKnight, the hospital’s CEO. “This recognition validates the commitment we have made to provide a superior level of maternal and neonatal care for our community.” HCAVirginia.com
—by Konstantin Rega
THE FUTURE OF RADIATION THERAPY
VCU MASSEY CANCER CENTER is now the first hospital in Virginia to offer a new MRI-guided radiation therapy for cancer patients. “This will allow us to offer even more personalized high-precision treatments,” says Elisabeth Weiss, M.D., a radiation oncologist at Massey.
The MRIdian system uses SmartVISION, SmartADAPT, and SmartTARGET to find the tumor, focus where the radiation beam concentrates, and adjust the focus to the body’s movement to avoid harming healthy tissue and nearby organs. The technology expands patients’ treatment options and offers better outcomes with reduced toxicity.
So far, only 18,000 people worldwide have been treated with MRIdian. Fifty MRIdian systems are installed at hospitals on three continents—North America, Europe, and Asia. Along the Atlantic coast, Massey is the only location to offer this therapy between Pennsylvania and Florida.
Massey Cancer Center, part of the nationally ranked VCU Medical Center, is one of only two cancer centers in Virginia designated by the National Cancer Institute and one of only 71 in the United States. Hundreds of top cancer specialists at Massey provide a wealth of expertise in cancer diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and symptom management. VCUHealth.org —by K.R.
TOO YOUNG FOR BREAST CANCER?
For women under 40, screenings still matter.
BY AGE 40, women should be getting annual mammograms to screen for breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. But these guidelines leave the under-40 set in the Dr. Shruti dark. And with 11,000 younger Tiwari women diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the U.S.—around seven percent of new cases—breast health awareness is key.
“Younger women may ignore important symptoms and signs, like breast lumps or unusual discharge, if they think they’re underage for a routine mammogram,” says Shruti Tiwari, M.D., a medical oncologist and breast specialist at Virginia Cancer Specialists in Northern Virginia—now celebrating 50 years of highlevel oncology care.
Women with risk factors—a first-degree relative who’s had breast cancer, a genetic predisposition to the disease, or prior radiation exposure to the chest area—should begin mammogram screening as early as age 30. And for women in this age group, it’s important to know what’s “normal” for your own body and bring any changes to a doctor’s attention.
Dr. Tiwari’s tips:
ȕ Early detection: Beginning at age 20, become familiar with how your breasts look and feel. This will help you notice changes. Starting at age 25, get annual breast exams by your healthcare provider. ȕ Know your risk: Younger women with higher risk factors are eligible for early screening mammograms—crucial to helping find breast cancer early when treatment is most successful.
Regular mammograms can often detect changes in breast tissue before they become cancerous. ȕ Start healthy habits: To reduce the risk of breast and other cancers, it’s never too early to eat well and exercise to maintain a healthy body weight. ȕ Moderation: Avoid smoking and limit alcohol intake. Alcohol has been shown to increase the risk for six types of cancers. Limit red meat to 12-18 ounces per week. VirginiaCancerSpecialists.com —by Vayda Parrish
(From left) Debra Vance, Dr. K. Singh Sahni, Tina Holloman,, and Sally Sanderson
PROMISING PROCEDURES
Medical milestones achieved at Virginia hospitals.
TWO VIRGINIA HOSPITALS recently celebrated landmark surgical achievements.
At Valley Health’s Winchester Medical Center, cardiologist and electrophysiologist Daniel Alexander, D.O., performed his 100th successful implantation of the Watchman FLX™. This tiny device is placed in the heart to help prevent stroke in certain patients with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat condition that affects nearly six million Americans.
And at Johnston-Willis Hospital’s Brain and Spine Center in Richmond, a team of neurosurgeons led by Dr. K. Singh Sahni has surpassed 5,000 Gamma Knife® procedures, an advanced treatment for patients with brain tumors and neurological disorders.
As the only Joint Commission Gold Seal brain tumor center in Virginia, JohnstonWillis has been performing Gamma Knife operations since 2004. The non-invasive technology is a painless, blade-free, computer-guided treatment that delivers highly targeted radiation to tumors. Gamma Knife’s precision allows most patients to return home same-day. ValleyHealthlink.com;
HCAVirginia.com —by Vayda Parrish
A SPACE FOR HEALING
FURTHERING ITS COMMITMENT to mental health care, Riverside Health System has broken ground for a new, freestanding psychiatric emergency department (ED), scheduled for a late 2023 opening. The psychiatric ED will share a campus with Riverside Behavioral Health Center in Hampton, which offers acute care for adolescents and adults, and crisis assessment.
Riverside’s new ED is designed to provide specialized care for patients with mental illnesses, behavioral concerns, and substance abuse disorders who would otherwise check in to a general medical emergency room. Features of the new facility include 10 private rooms and treatment areas, dedicated treatment spaces for minors, sensory rooms, and other calming environments for patients.
“We all know that physical health is important and is something we need to look after so that we can stay fit and well; mental health is no different,” says Stacey Johnson, Riverside Behavioral Health Hospital president and vice president for Riverside Behavioral Health Center. “The unique design of our new ED will provide a critical resource for those experiencing a mental health issue and be a reliable space for them to begin their healing.” RiversideOnline.com —by V.P.
UVA MEDICINE IS TOP NOTCH
The university’s health system scores big.
UVA’s School of Medicine was ranked
No. 1 in Virginia
for both medical research and primary care by U.S. News & World Report in their 2022–23 Best Graduate Schools guide.
The School of Nursing at UVA was rated
Virginia’s No. 1 nursing school
by the U.S. News report.
UVA’s Cancer Center has become the first in Virginia to achieve a comprehensive cancer center designation—
the highest recognition available—
from the National Cancer Institute. With this accolade, UVA joins an elite group of just 52 designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S.
UVA Health’s F.E. Dreifuss Comprehensive Epilepsy Program achieved distinction as a
Level 4 center —the highest ranking—
by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. Level 4 centers provide complex monitoring and extensive medical, neuropsychological, and psychosocial treatment evaluations and options for epilepsy patients.
