The prognosis wasn’t great when doctors examined Shelly Leroy’s mauled arm last August. On July 31, she was attacked at home by her own dog, a pit-bull named Sam that until that day had never shown aggression.
A few days later, a map of the veins and arteries in Leroy’s right arm showed damage that seemed almost beyond repair. At that point, doctors at Via Christi Medical Center in Wichita said her arm would most likely have to be amputated below the elbow.
However, the next day another specialist looked at her arm and told her he thought it could be saved.
“Talk about happy!” she said.
In fact, Leroy says she is happy to be alive. Her screams for help on July 31 were heard by a woman mowing her lawn a block away, but help arrived within minutes.
So, when her injured arm aches, she remembers she is thankful to have it. And when people see her in one of the local stores and view her bandaged arm, she tries to be patient when they start asking questions. Leroy herself does not know what was different that day, what could have caused a beloved pet to turn on her. (The dog was put to sleep and Leroy said she wasn’t told if the necropsy provided a clue to its unusual behavior.)
She also doesn’t know if she’ll be able to return to her job operating machines at Essex in Hoisington. It will depend on how soon she can recover use of her right hand, and to what degree. Her next tendon surgery is scheduled for November.
Meanwhile, a fundraiser is planned for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24. There will be a garage sale and bake sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at her home, 2814 17th St. She has been baking some of the items herself. There will also be concessions.
Donations, including items for the sale, can be dropped off at that address.