CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — The Jubilee of Trees is celebrating its 40th year of benefiting patients at Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital by expanding and enhancing surgical services to meet a growing regional need.
The annual community holiday event will begin with a gala dinner and auction on Saturday, Nov. 18, and remain open Sunday, Nov. 19 through Tuesday, Nov. 21, at the Dixie Convention Center in St. George. All funds raised will increase the hospital’s capacity to care for the community with world-class surgical services.
The Jubilee of Trees, which is hosted by the Intermountain Foundation, is a magical holiday experience featuring a winter wonderland of beautifully decorated trees, wreaths, gingerbread houses and more created by volunteers from Utah, Arizona and Nevada.
It’s brought to life by a dedicated community volunteer board whose members enlist the time and talents of families, organizations and businesses throughout Utah and neighboring states.
“We are grateful for the community members who responded to our ‘Christmas in July’ call for Jubilee of Trees volunteers and are generously giving of their time and talent to support this cherished event,” said Loriana De Crescenzo, executive director of the Intermountain Foundation at St. George Regional Hospital. “We invite the Southern Utah community to be inspired by their work, to believe in the magic of Christmas and join us Nov. 18-21 to help expand much-needed surgical services in our community.”
Tickets are available here.
The need for surgical services is rapidly growing in the region. St. George is Utah’s third-fastest-growing city — an area with the highest percentage of seniors in the state.
The hospital is adding up to seven new surgeons every year to accommodate the increased demand, but additional space and technology are needed to better meet community needs now and in the future.
Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital is a high-level trauma center. Because of that, it’s critical to maintain 24-hour trauma services and surgical coverage by general and specialty surgeons, including cardiology, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care.
That expertise was urgently needed by Brittany Millington, a mother of 4-year-old twins and a nurse at Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital, when she suffered a rare and serious injury on an outing with friends last year.
During a late evening snowstorm in Enterprise, Millington slipped and fell while walking back to her friend’s vehicle. Her leg was dislocated and positioned sideways from the knee down. Unable to relocate the leg herself, she realized she’d need to find shelter from the snow quickly. She managed to pull herself to the vehicle before passing out from the pain.
Her friend later found, and stayed, with Millington until an ambulance arrived. First responders sedated Millington with IV medication and put her leg back into place, but they couldn’t detect a pulse on her foot. She had ruptured her femoral artery, torn her ligaments and had compartment syndrome, which is when the injury puts intense pressure on the muscle and can lead to permanent damage or death without treatment.
She needed surgery right away to save her leg. The hospital called in an extra trauma surgeon to take care of her.
Millington’s next memory is waking up from surgery with two pins in her femur, two more in her tibia and four rods to hold her leg in alignment.
“They told me I’d almost lost my leg, and if it hadn’t been for the operating room team, I wouldn’t be able to walk normally. I’m very, very fortunate and grateful for everyone,” she said.
Millington has required additional surgeries and follow-up care while healing. She is physically active again and even able jump on the trampoline with her children.
“They were really excited about that one,” she said. “I’m a very hands-on mom. They’re my world. Now I can run with them and play.”
The Jubilee of Trees will not only help increase access to surgical services in St. George area communities but also help upgrade technology to allow more precise, less invasive surgical procedures that yield better outcomes and shorter healing times.
“With your support, care at our hospital will continue to exceed expectations as this region has become one of the most sought-after destinations to live the healthiest life possible,” said Dr. Patrick Carroll, a neonatologist and the medical director of Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital. “Join us at this year’s Jubilee of Trees and our efforts to continue to push the boundaries of health care and to redefine what’s possible in emergency care delivered locally and beyond.”
For more information, visit the Jubilee of Trees website.
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