Johns Hopkins Hospital celebrates remarkable recoveries, life-saving medical professionals
Johns Hopkins Hospital is celebrating thousands of inspiring recovery journeys, and the medical care teams who helped save their lives.
To mark the occasion, the hospital held a special event on Wednesday in honor if National Trauma Survivors Day.
Survivors shared their personal stories of recovery and reunited with the care teams who played a vital role in their care.
"They say it takes a village, and you all proved it"
Mark McKenzie did not know if he would survive being shot in 2024.
"As you can see, I'm blessed to have many of the most important people in my life here today, and I'm quite certain they all only came because they thought it was a roast," said Mark McKenzie, a trauma survivor.
The joy on this stage means much more because on September 13, 2024, McKenzie was rushed to the hospital after being shot in the chest and abdomen.
Johns Hopkins Hospital
"Medic one arrived in less than four minutes, which is a very quick response," said Angela Taury, an EMS captain with the Baltimore County Fire Department. "So not only did we have to respond to a critical injury, but it was also an active crime scene, so we had to work quickly but carefully with the police. You know, they're guiding us."
Doctors say McKenzie required immediate surgery and later underwent liver repair, gallbladder removal, and vein reconstruction.
"I also firmly believe in the power of prayer, and I believe that God intervened on that Friday the 13th," McKenzie said.
"We had to put a plan together, we had to go to work, and the surgery was difficult, and the recovery was long. I'm thrilled to be here today. Mark's at home with his family, thriving, and it's an incredible victory for us and for you," said Dr. Chris Shubert, a hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
The road to recovery
McKenzie spent 47 days in the hospital, with 38 of those days in the intensive care unit.
On Wednesday, he was in a room filled with the nurses, doctors, family, and a long list of friends, saying, "I survived."
"They say it takes a village, and you all proved it," McKenzie said. "They gave me back, they gave me back life to be with my wife and my kids."
Reunited with the survivors
From the emergency crews who responded to the initial 911 call to the medical care team who stood by his bedside, everyone had a chance to reunite with the patient who never gave up.
Johns Hopkins Hospital
"But rarely do we get to follow up or see what happens afterward. So to be here with you today is truly meaningful," said Taury.
"Mark has climbed through every step or setback of his medical journey with tenacity and a sense of humor," said Amy Lowe, a physical therapist at Johns Hopkins Rehabilitation Network Center in Timonium.
"You faced a traumatic event that really would have brought most of us to her knees," Jennifer Zanni, a long-time physical therapist at Johns Hopkins Rehabilitation Network Center. "And [you] really have shown that through healing, is really not about forgetting the trauma, but learning to carry it in a way that allows you your life to move forward."
More survivors honored
The event also recognized the team and survival stories of 14-year-old Ethan McKinnon and 24-year-old John Paredes.
McKinnon sustained severe injuries when the car he was in with his family was rear-ended at high speed. Ejected from the vehicle, Ethan suffered aortic, spinal, and small bowel injuries. He required spinal fusion surgeries, had a breathing tube for several days and needed feeding support.
Paredes was admitted in March 2024, with elevated eye pressure and blurry vision as a result of an elastic band hitting his eye during boxing training. He was diagnosed with indeterminate stage angle recession glaucoma and vitreous prolapse of the right eye, requiring several eye surgeries.
Together, all of the trauma and burn centers at Hopkins have treated more than 5,093 patients since 2024, including the three they honored on National Trauma Survivors Day.
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