Shining Example

A cadre of care-givers helping a Montpelier mom in her recovery after she was struck by a car while jogging will be honored Saturday at the VCU Shining Knight Gala

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Denise Gorondy is starting to run again.

It’s a passion for the Hanover County resident, but it’s something she’s been unable to do for almost a year. She’s been working hard for months to get back on the move, recovering from a hit-and-run incident that nearly claimed her life.

She was running along a rural stretch of road about 6 a.m. on June 5 last year when a car approached from behind, crossed a double-yellow line and struck her. The driver never stopped, and she was left lying alone in a field until she was found about an hour later by a cyclist.

Gorondy, a veterinarian, had sustained a brain injury and has no memory of that collision, nor of being airlifted to VCU Medical Center. She remembers nothing except some of the last of the 40 days she was confined there. She couldn’t walk, let alone run.

But now, her life has some semblance of normalcy, thanks to her family, friends and community, and of course the first responders, doctors, nurses, therapists and others who have helped her heal.

Gorondy will share her story and pay homage to her host of caregivers on Saturday at the annual Shining Knight Gala. The ninth gala is a fundraiser in support of the VCU Health Injury and Violence Prevention Programs and VCU’s Level 1 Trauma Center.

She says that doctors, nurses and staff at VCU "were very [much] on top of my injuries and my needs.”

Gorondy's husband, Ben, kept near-constant watch over her in the hospital, and has been able to work with her and keep things running at home through her recovery. He’s a detective with the Richmond City Police Department and a member of the SWAT team. He’s been able to tend to Denise full time because his coworkers donated time through a shared leave program.

While she was in the hospital, family members kept their two boys so he could devote his time to Denise. He’d just come home for a few hours to help feed them and put them to bed before returning to her bedside. She was never without family: When Ben was out, she was kept company by her father.

Nor was Ben alone. In the first days, there always seemed to be some of his SWAT team compatriots in the hospital lobby. The first couple of weeks, they would always drive him home and back as needed.

Other family members sponsored fundraisers, including a D Strong! T-shirt campaign, and there’s a Denise Gorondy Recovery campaign at gofundme.com. Even casual acquaintances and strangers in the community would stop Ben and offer encouragement and support. “It’s a very small community, but very close community,” he says.

Gorondy was unable to walk until late September/early October. After some five months off her feet, she was weak and had to regain her strength. But Gorondy had always been athletic. Before she was struck, she had run four or five days a week, and also regularly biked and swam. It was her physical strength and her perseverance that allowed her to survive and recover, says her husband.

Her rehabilitation process continues with sessions at the VCU Health Neuroscience, Orthopaedic and Wellness Center. Physical therapist Tracy Provost started working with her there in August. When Gorondy started, she could put no weight on her right leg, but Provost was there to help her attain her long-range goal to get back to running and to what she normally did before the accident.

Gorondy was cleared to walk by the fall, and pushed herself. “They really work hard,” Provost says. “It’s always fun to work with somebody who challenges me.”

Provost says it’s a team effort, with her role being that of a guide, but much of the work is up to the patient. There are metal plates in Gorondy's leg because of the fracture, and she wasn’t allowed to run or jump until early April, but now they’re getting into running mode once again.

“That’s pretty cool, to get from can’t-stand to now,” says Provost.

Gorondy is appreciative of everyone’s efforts: “It’s the worst thing that ever happened to me and my family in our lives, but the community support has been tremendous.”