Redwood City, CA
1-800-348-8911

August 5 th - 1700 Hours: 911 CARES has decided to pay for the lodging for Taylor's family so they can stay by his side day and night. We thank the hospital and the Ronald McDonald House for the enthusiastic cooperation. Please keep your cards, letters and donations coming. You might also want to visit the guestbook link below, you have all written some amazingly wonderful and supporting notes. Thanks – 911 CARES

NOTE FROM 9-1-1 CARES: August 4, 2004

We just received this e-mail today and we have immediately started a 9-1-1 CARES activation. We also sent Taylor and his family some 9-1-1 CARES Bears and goodies. The letter tells the story. In addition to helping Taylor and his family, please NEVER let your kids ride on these mowers. This is the 4th such event I have heard of and maybe we can prevent the next tragedy.

Dear 911 CARES,

I have just now found a moment to catch my breath and write you about one of my dispatchers. On Sunday July 18th one of my newest dispatchers, Deanna Busalak-McKay, had just reported to work for her swing shift when a 9-1-1 call came in from her home. Her older son Colton, who is 9, said that his dad told him to call 9-1-1 and get an ambulance for his brother Taylor (age 7) who had just been hurt really badly by the riding lawnmower.

Taylor was critically wounded after falling out of a trailer being towed by the riding lawnmower, the lawnmower rolled back over Taylor before he could get out of the way and cut the left side of his body essentially removing a large chunk of his body, skin, internal organs, his leg and tissue etc ..

As we all know, this is the worst possible call a dispatcher could ever take. I am so impressed with Deanna's response. Not only did she stay on the phone and remain calm, she transferred her son to Sweet Home dispatch so an ambulance could be started, kept her son calm and gave the Sweet Home dispatcher directions to the house. Fortunately for Deanna and Taylor one of Deanna's close friends is a paramedic in Sweet Home and was on the ambulance sent to Deanna's house so he knew where he was going. At the same time, Deanna and the one other dispatcher on duty this day had an armed robbery in progress to handle at the same time.

I have no idea how Deanna held her composure. At one point in the call Deanna's husband got on the phone and told her what had happened. I truly don't know, based on what he described to her coupled with his hysteria, how she managed to remain calm but she did. This woman has less than one year of dispatch experience. Long story short, the paramedics picked Taylor up and rushed him to Lebanon Community Hospital where he was subsequently lifeflighted to Doernbechers Hospital . Initial reports from Deanna's husband the medics indicated Taylor would be lucky to survive.

We made arrangements to have Deanna taken to Lebanon Hospital via patrol car. Bless her heart, she waited until her relief could show up to relieve her before she rushed out the door in a state of shock. Deanna and her husband have spent the last two weeks at Taylors side at Doernbechers Hospital praying for his recovery. Taylor basically had the left side of his body sheared off by the riding lawnmower blades. He lost his spleen and suffered a lot of internal damage to his colon, rectum, stomach, leg and his sciatic nerve was destroyed. At this point they are trying to keep his fever down and determine if they will have to amputate his leg. (his condition is updated at the web site listed below)

We are asking for cards, letters, prayers and encouragement. We have a web site set up at that we encourage you to sign. Please mention you heard about Taylor via 911 CARES. Deanna does check on the site daily from the hospital to read the notes of encouragement. I am making weekly trips as well as many of her co-workers to take her food and anything else she needs. I would be so grateful if any of you could take time to check in and let her know the rest of the 9-1-1 community is proud of her work and thinking of her as she works through this nightmare. The web site is www.caringbridge.org/or/taylor

Financially, we know there will be a need also. She has an awesome support family here. Overall, we raised more than $700 for the family through donations - $500 of that from the Albany Fire Fighters Fund alone. They are awesome and have offered a lot of moral support as well as financial. Direct donations to the family medical and needs costs can be made via Visa, MasterC ard or check at www.911cares.com and we thank them for their support also.

Cathy White - Communications Supervisor - Linn County Sheriff's Office
1115 Jackson St SE - Albany , OR 97322

To make a 911CARES donation, go here and click on the "Make a 911CARES Donation" link on the left border.  Thanks for your help!

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