Jennifer Anderton has been working as an Account Executive in our industry for over twenty years. She spent 12 years at Nuvista, 4 years at Nth Degree, and most recently, 6 years at On Location.
Jen was admitted to the hospital on 8/28/2023 in a semi-unconscious state due to severe dehydration, rendering her unable to keep anything down and causing a loss of function in all limbs. She subsequently developed pneumonia, which progressed to respiratory failure with fluid accumulation in the lungs. Jen then entered a two-week coma and required life support. A tracheotomy was performed, and despite a feeding tube, her weight dropped to 78 lbs. Following her recovery from these critical conditions, Jen began physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT), and later underwent speech therapy to regain her abilities.
On 10/21, she was transferred via ambulance to Patricia Neal for rehabilitation, where she focused on relearning fundamental skills such as walking, talking, and eating. Despite being discharged on 10/28, Jen still faced challenges with walking and required at-home patient care for six weeks. Park West in Knoxville was the primary hospital where Jen was treated, primarily for emergency surgery to address an aneurysm in her spleen. Currently, she continues to be under the care of her primary care physician (PCP), whom she sees monthly, as well as an orthopedist for her hip issues (a tear and degeneration), a rheumatologist for fibromyalgia management, and a plastic surgeon for scar revision on her face resulting from the oxygen mask used during her hospital stay. Jen experienced complications due to inadequate repositioning by nurses in the ICU.
(The nurses didn’t turn her for two weeks while in the ICU and the mask buried itself into her right cheek.) She also had to have her hair cut off.
It has been almost a year and she not been able to return to work yet, as is her hope. Jen’s short term disability is suspended and in medical review since 4/30.