Trauma Team Saves Young Mother

When Abbi Winters arrived at The University of Kansas Health System, she was fighting for her life. Moments earlier, a child custody exchange had turned into a violent ambush. As she sat in her car, her ex partner approached with a shotgun and fired 3 times. “I heard something loud. I didn’t know it yet, but I had already been shot twice. I went to cover my face and apply pressure, and there was nothing there,” she recalled. “It hit the window, because the window was up. A bunch of metal shards hit me everywhere, so it’s not like I was shot in one place. I was shot in like a hundred places.”

Despite catastrophic injuries, Abbi stayed conscious, driven by one thought, her son. “Every time he would cry, I would take the deepest breath I could. And I think that’s what made me survive,” she said.

Abbi’s injuries were extensive. Paramedics rushed her to the region’s only Level I Trauma Center at The University of Kansas Hospital. “It fractured my spine. It took a piece of my tongue. It took my cheek. The top of my mouth is completely reconstructed from my wrist,” she said. “It was very extensive. I had to learn how to walk and talk again.”

Trauma surgeon Erich Wessel, DO, remembers the urgency. “She was not stable. These were life threatening injuries, and we had to operate immediately,” he said.

“The biggest concern we have up front is injuries to the vital organs, like the lungs and the heart. All the blood for the entire body is going through that area every single second,” said Dr. Wessel. “In Abbi’s case she had a hole in her heart which needed repaired and a hole in her lung which needed repaired. It took a lot of surgical work to stabilize her.”

Abbi’s injuries required multiple surgeries and a systematic approach. Once the trauma surgery team stabilized Abbi, surgeons and specialists across multiple departments including cardiothoracic surgery, plastic surgery, critical care and respiratory therapy coordinated her care.

Abbi credits the team with her survival. “I had the best surgeons. They’re the reason that I’m alive,” she said. She has endured multiple surgeries to address her injuries. “Too many to count,” she said.

“Initially we’re trying to get the structures that you have that were injured back into place. Then from there, we see what defects we have and plan reconstruction. The ultimate goal is to restore form and function,” said plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Lypka, MD. “It's difficult. It takes time, and it takes multiple procedures to get to where you want.”

One of Abbi’s most meaningful surgeries involved her right eye. After losing it in the attack, she received a prosthetic painted to match her son’s. “My blue eye is a reconstruction of my son’s, painted to the exact picture,” she said.

More reconstruction lies ahead. Dental restoration will be one of the final steps. “My teeth are the last thing I want done, but I don’t have enough bone up there yet,” she explained.

As Abbi is making progress in her healing, doctors at the health system continue to guide her long-term recovery. “I think it is invaluable that we have the specialties and care that we do. If any point Abbi and I have a question about her care, I can reach out and they will get right back to me,” said family medicine provider Dr. Hannah Maxfield, MD. “It’s really a benefit of the health system.”

“The chronic pain never goes away completely,” Dr. Maxfield said, emphasizing the importance of ongoing support for trauma survivors.

The physical recovery has been grueling, but the emotional journey is equally complex. “I had to learn how to walk and talk again,” Abbi said. “My appearance affects me the most. I would dream about my other face and wake up to this.”

Abbi has found healing through social media. Her candid videos documenting recovery have reached thousands. “Most of the videos are just raw and real and those are usually the ones people connect with the most,” she said.

Today, Abbi and her son have moved into their own space, and she has begun speaking publicly about domestic violence. “I just want every person to understand that they deserve the love that they give,” she said.