Megan Dority

With bright blue eyes and blonde hair, Megan Dority is picture perfect. Like every five-year-old, she loves playing outdoors, especially sharing picnics with her grandmother. On a warm Saturday afternoon in March, Megan and her grandmother were having a picnic in the backyard of her Brownwood home, laughing at her brothers playing in the yard.

The family picnic suddenly turned serious as Megan reached for the hamburger she dropped. The family dog lunged for the hamburger, biting Megan's nose in the process. Stunned, Megan turned around to reveal a piece of her nose was missing. As her grandmother raced her inside, Megan's brother remembered something he had seen on television. He saw the missing piece of Megan's nose in the grass and ran inside to put it on ice.

"We were so scared," said Megan's grandmother. "She was so small and with her whole life ahead of her, we hoped the doctor's could save her nose."

Megan was transferred from Brownwood and admitted to Meek Children's Hospital at Hendrick Medical Center. After being evaluated, it was determined Megan suffered a full thickness tissue injury of her left nose and cheek along with a laceration on the right dome of her nose. After an extensive surgery, Joel Pessa, MD a plastic surgeon at Hendrick managed to reattach the small piece of Megan's nose.

"Megan's brother did the right thing," commented Dr. Pessa. "The family was quick to respond and for that reason, there was a greater chance of a successful recovery."
After surgery, Megan was to endure several treatments of hyperbaric medicine. She would quietly sit in a hyperbaric chamber for hours at a time, a difficult thing to do for a five-year-old who loves the outdoors. High amounts of oxygen inside the hyperbaric chamber helped to speed the healing process of Megan's nose.

Megan was discharged eight days later, her blue eyes beaming with excitement when she returned home. Some quick thinking by her brother and a team of healthcare professionals were able to save Megan's nose. A small scar and some new friends are all Megan has to show for her time at Meek Children's Hospital.

Now almost seven years old, Megan is one of the thousands of miracles seen at Meek Children's Hospital each year. By pledging to support Children's Miracle Network, you can touch the lives of area children like Megan. Funds donated benefit Meek Children's Hospital, Hendrick Center for Rehabilitation and other children's services throughout Hendrick.