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Quick Facts:
Fort Smith
It was a cold winter evening when Larry Mitchell found himself in distress.
Larry and his wife, Debbie, who had recently celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary, were at home in Booneville, Arkansas, on Jan. 8, 2025, when Larry began feeling ill.
“I felt a little uneasy in my head and my neck, because I had sneezed hard 17 times in a row,” Larry said. “I asked my wife for a couple of aspirin and chewed on those. I sat down and I don’t remember anything after that.”
After Debbie tried to wake her husband but couldn’t, she called 911. Later diagnosed with a subdural hematoma – bleeding near the brain – Larry needed emergency care, and fast.
Meanwhile, snow was falling throughout much of Arkansas, including in Booneville, making for hazardous road conditions. Fortunately, paramedics were able to get to Larry’s home and get him transported to Mercy Hospital Booneville quickly. Larry was tended to in the emergency room by Dr. Eric Hoffman, along with ER nurse Mario Tabarez, while others, including the Mitchells’ grandson Jarrett, stood by and prayed.
“They allowed us to pray while they worked on him,” said Janet Mitchell, Larry’s daughter-in-law and office supervisor at Mercy Primary Care in Booneville. “Jarrett prayed for them as well to work on Larry and get what he needed.”
“We needed all the prayers we could get that night, because things were shaky,” added Larry’s son, Larry Mitchell II.
After the Booneville ER team worked on Larry, it was determined that he would need to be transported to a larger facility.
“Luckily with their quick action and getting him in for a CT scan, they were able to diagnose him pretty quickly,” said Larry II.
Despite 10 inches of snow on the ground and more still falling, local EMS got special permission to transport Larry to Mercy Fort Smith, a trip that took twice as long as it normally would due to the ongoing winter storm.
During the trip, Larry’s blood pressure was high, and pneumonia was beginning to set in. He was facing emergency surgery, which was performed by Mercy Neurosurgeon Dr. Daraspreet Kainth. Larry spent the next week in the step-down intensive care unit, where he and his family say he was well cared for.
“Dr. Kainth did a remarkable job,” Larry said. “He really did. He was in my room every morning.”
Dr. Kainth informed the family that Larry’s situation was serious, but the biggest part of the process would be rehabilitation. Once his condition improved, Larry was transferred to Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Fort Smith, where he stayed for two weeks.
“At the rehab hospital, they treated him like he was their baby,” Debbie said. “They were just so kind and loving to him.” An ICU nurse even came to visit Larry while he was in rehab, saying, “I had to see God’s miracle.”
Larry continued outpatient physical therapy after his rehab stay and was officially discharged near the end of March.
“The therapist said I could do all the exercises better than they could,” Larry said. “I know all of them. I do them at home.”
Larry II said he understands that not everybody will have a positive experience during a hospital visit, but the Mercy caregivers made it one for his dad.
“If you could have a hospital full of employees like those who had worked on my dad, you’re going to have a good thing going,” he said. “They made us feel like we were going to succeed and get through this, from the doctors to EMS, everybody that night and throughout the weeks he was there, the physical therapy that he’s gone to, I’ve heard nothing but good things from them. We can’t say enough good things.”
“How it all worked out, it’s a Godsend. It’s divine intervention,” Janet added.
Community care
For Larry and his family, the critical care he needed from the beginning was the presence of the critical access hospital so close to home.
“Rural hospitals are vital to the health and well-being of their communities,” said Dr. Paul Bean, Mercy Fort Smith chief medical officer. “For people living in remote areas, rural hospitals are often the only nearby option for medical care. Without them, patients might have to travel long distances, delaying treatment for critical conditions.”
Larry II, who previously served on the Booneville City Council, noted that he never paid a lot of attention to the Mercy Hospital in Booneville other than being glad it was operating.
“This hospital is probably more important to me now than it’s ever been because it’s hit me on a personal level,” he said. “When it hits me personally, you’re glad you’ve got a community hospital. We had a lot of obstacles to overcome that night. It wasn’t like a spring night. But this little hospital here pulled through a couple months ago.”
“This is the perfect example of why a community needs a hospital,” he continued. “This whole thing would have turned out completely different if we had not had this hospital in Booneville. I know there are other families besides ours in this community who appreciate this hospital being here. We’re glad that Mercy is here. We can’t say enough about it.”
Larry and his family are grateful for the care he received throughout his ordeal – and are thrilled to see him doing so well after only a couple of months.
“For a bad situation, it turned out – thank God and his helpers – it turned out well,” Larry said. “I’m grateful. I thank God every day for what he did and what they did for me.”
