An Extraordinary Team Makes a Child's Dream of Dancing Possible After Trauma

A horrific accident left a vibrant 6-year-old New River Valley girl with both feet severed—until our team of surgeons took on the case of a lifetime to reattach them.

First assessed at CNRV, Aubrey Scaletta received immediate care in our ED that made it possible for her to be airlifted by Life-Guard to our Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. Pediatric hand surgeon Peter Apel, M.D, Ph.D., quickly assembled a team of orthopaedic and plastic surgeons to make a difficult decision and take action in a short window of time. This initial coordination of care between our hospitals in Roanoke and New River Valley provided the best opportunity for a successful outcome.

Dr. Apel stated that the options were to give up and amputate—or give Aubrey the best chance by operating immediately.

They chose the second option and, in short order, Dr. Apel led the team through a complex, 6-hour-long, intricate dual reattachment surgery.

That decision paid off.

Since the successful surgery, Aubrey began a months-long journey of additional surgeries (six in total), inpatient and outpatient care, physical and occupational therapies and regular visits from our Home Care team.  

Aubrey's journey is not complete, but only six months later, the now 7-year-old girl crossed the stage at Virginia Tech's Moss Arts Center and danced alongside her twin sister Grayson in The Nutcracker.

An Unimaginable Accident

Back in May, Aubrey was riding in the backseat of her dad’s pickup truck on the way home from gymnastics practice. She was playing with a cargo strap when one end of the strap went out the window, slid between the cab and bed of the truck and severed both of her feet while nearly pulling her from the vehicle.

Today, she continues to show tremendous strength and determination, making sure she can do everything her siblings can do.

Aubrey's story initially captured national attention, captivating the hearts of many. The night of her performance, WSLS was there to capture video as part of their coverage of her incredible story and the role our organization played in making it all possible.

An Extraordinary Team

Aubrey's story and her incredible progress would not have been possible without the immediate and ongoing network of care created by many teams who collaborated on her behalf, just a few of which are listed here:

• Life-Guard
• Pediatric Emergency Department
• Pediatric Trauma
• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Plastic Surgery
• Anesthesiology
• Operating room staff
• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
• Child Life Specialists
• Pediatric Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Home Care