posted October 22, 2018

(DENVER, Colorado, October 22, 2018) – MedEvac Foundation International named Whitney Corby as its 2018 Patient of the Year and will honor her at this weekend’s annual Donor Recognition event, held in conjunction with the Air Medical Transportation Conference (AMTC). Corby, the fourth annual winner of the award and an Air Methods patient, suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2013 after a car accident and has since become a neurology nurse caring for patients with injuries similar to her own.

The day after Christmas 2013, Corby, 24, from Winchester, Va., was driving at night near her former home in Corning, N.Y. when her SUV slid on black ice and collided with a tree. Corby, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, along with a fractured skull, a broken cheekbone and collarbone, and bruised lungs, was transported by Air Methods to the closest available Level 2 trauma center, which was in Pennsylvania.

“If she had not been flown down here, she would not be here today,” Corby’s mother, Teresa, remembers physicians telling her. “It made me really realize that life is precious and you need to appreciate every minute that you have.”

Corby was in a coma for six days and then transferred to a rehabilitation center where she worked with speech, occupational and physical therapists where she retrained herself to talk, walk, eat, brush her teeth and perform other routine tasks. After six months of extensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, Corby was able to resume normal life and re-enrolled in college.

In 2017, Corby earned a nursing degree from the Decker School of Nursing at State University of New York (SUNY) Binghamton. She has since served as an intern at the same hospital where she underwent her inpatient rehabilitation, Unity Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. Today, Corby works on the neurology floor at Winchester Medical Center in Winchester, Va.

“Who better than to serve as a neuro nurse than someone who has been through the same things as their patients? I want to use my experience to help others overcome similar traumas,” said Corby, who has no recollection of the crash or immediate aftermath. “I am truly honored to receive this award and dedicate it to the air medical providers that helped me and continue to help others in need all over the country.”

“Through her perseverance and optimism, Whitney Corby most assuredly deserves to be named the MedEvac Patient of the Year,” said Steve Gorman, Air Methods’ chief executive officer. “Her moving and inspirational story is also another example of the life-saving emergency care air medical providers deliver thousands of times each year. Our dedicated pilots and clinical teams around the country work tirelessly in all conditions to help patients have better outcomes.”

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About Air Methods
Air Methods (www.airmethods.com) is the leading air medical service, delivering lifesaving care to more than 70,000 people every year. With nearly 40 years of air medical experience, Air Methods is the preferred partner for hospitals and one of the largest community-based providers of air medical services. United Rotorcraft is the Company’s products division specializing in the design and manufacture of aeromedical and aerospace technology. Air Methods’ fleet of owned, leased or maintained aircraft features more than 450 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.
About the MedEvac Foundation International

The MedEvac Foundation International is an international non-profit 501C (3) charitable organization headquartered in the Washington, DC area. The Foundation assists the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) to represent the Air Medical and the Critical Care Ground Transport Industry. Since 2005, the Foundation has supported research, education, and outreach programs that enhance the industry’s ability to provide quality medical care and provide safe and effective air and ground medical transportation for every patient in-need. We fund programs and charitable activities that support AAMS’ members and their families, who serve their communities with pride and commitment and provide life-saving services throughout the United States and around the world.

Media Contact:
Tara Stultz
Amendola Communications for Air Methods
440-225-9595