Jack's Story

Jack Cebulski, 6, a first-grader at Beecher Road School in Woodbridge, was riding in the back seat of a car last year when it was hit head-on. The impact of the crash caused the seatbelt he was wearing to cut through his abdomen all the way through the last layer of his stomach. He also suffered a concussion and a fracture of his spine. Michael Caty, MD, pediatric surgeon-in-chief at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, performed emergency surgery to repair the injury to his stomach and intestine while Dr. Charles Duncan a pediatric neurosurgeon oversaw Jack's head and back care. Jack stayed in the hospital for nine days.

Jack is completely recovered from his injuries. Last fall, he received medical clearance to resume athletic activities and return to the sport he loves most: gymnastics. In May, Jack will receive a trophy from his gymnastics class for five years of dedication to the sport.

"We love Yale New Haven Children's Hospital," said Jessica Cebulski, Jack's mom. "Dr. Caty was really great and responded quickly to Jack's care."

In a letter to Dr. Caty, Jack's Aunt Lisa, a nurse practitioner in Boston, echoed Mrs. Cebulski's sentiments: "As a nurse and nurse practitioner I was so impressed by the skill, compassion, care and inclusion of the entire family into Jack's care. You made a very difficult and scary time much easier on our family. Our family feels incredibly lucky that you were on call the day of Jack's accident."

According to Dr. Caty, "At Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, we have all sorts of metrics to judge the quality of health care, but the real goal we strive for is to treat other people's children like they are our own."