PHOENIX — Anna Gotchling was not yet 2 years old when she was rushed to Phoenix Children's Hospital in a helicopter with a severe brain injury. Now, she walks those same halls as an employee.
"Phoenix Children's saved my life. So I've always wanted to work here," Gotchling said.
Gotchling manages the front office at the hospital's Scottsdale location. While she does not remember the multiple surgeries and the month she spent recovering at the hospital, the experience shaped her future.
"I think somewhere deep down, like I remember, like, it's always going to be a part of me, but I just can't, like, tap into that," Gotchling said.
Her mother, Jen Schaefer, remembers the terrifying day vividly.
"I was at work, and I got a phone call, and Anna had an injury at the babysitter's house, and she was rushed to the hospital. She had a severe brain injury," Schaefer said.
Schaefer credits the medical team for saving her daughter's life.
"I can't say enough wonderful things about this hospital. I would not... my daughter would not be alive without it," Schaefer said.
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Now, Gotchling uses her unique perspective to connect with the young patients she sees every day. She said she feels a sense of safety at the hospital and believes she is exactly where she is supposed to be to help people.
"I was there. That happened to me so I can understand from, like, a patient level of being like a little kid, and like being here and needing help," Gotchling said.
For Schaefer, seeing her daughter's journey come full circle is extraordinary.
"It's amazing that she's alive, and it's amazing that she was able to kind of fulfill this, like, dream that she had since she was a little girl," Schaefer said.
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