Woman injured in dog attack trains with doctor who treated her scars

Jamie Harris, a 22-year-old medical student, is studying at the University of Florida School of Medicine to become a dermatologist and specialize in treating pediatric patients with traumatic scars, three years after she was viciously attacked by a dog and left with her own set of scars.

“Every time I look in the mirror I see my motivation. It’s always been a part of me and I know exactly what I’m working on every day when I wake up in the morning,” Harris told ABC News, speaking about how the attack led her to seek her focus. in dermatology.

Harris is a member of the University of Florida Medical Honors Program, a highly selective accelerated program that allows students to earn a BS and an MD in seven years.

On September 11, 2020, during her final year of graduation before starting medical school, Harris went to her friend’s apartment to study. A few hours later, they decided to take a break from studying and watch TV, accompanied by their friend’s newly adopted dog, who had been settling in with Harris since she arrived that afternoon.

The three were huddled together on the couch when Harris said the dog, for no clear reason, pounced on her and latched onto her directly below her right eye and forehead, while also scratching her chin and neck. Harris’ friend, the dog’s owner, managed to snatch it away from Harris and lock it in a nearby room.

In a state of shock, Harris ran into the bathroom to try and check the mirror for damage before her friends rushed her to the emergency room. “It was all a blur,” she said. “To this day I ask myself ‘What did I do? Why did he attack me?'”

Harris spent nearly five adrenaline-induced hours in the waiting room, constantly having to change his bloodied surgical masks for clean ones. “I [went back and forth] between complete denial and survival mode every few minutes,” she said.

From the front desk staff to the nurses and doctors, Harris finally received first-rate care at UF Health Shands Hospital, where plastic surgeons sutured her face in less than an hour and sent her home. However, once reality started to set in, she said, “Then it dawned on me how bad the damage was after convincing myself in the waiting room that it would just be a small scar on the side of my face.”

Harris was eventually forced to come to terms with the massive scars that stretched from her forehead to her chin. In the age of the Zoom meeting, when you’re facing a whole gallery of people at once, she said, “I was constantly reminded of my injury.”

“I was forced to look at myself all day and think about the attack,” she said.

Still, Harris insisted he “couldn’t have been luckier with my support system”, referring to his family and friends.

After seeing her daughter’s confidence plummet, Harris’ mother, Mary Leigh Harris, was determined to find a solution after several doctors refused to operate on Harris’s scars too soon.

She contacted Dr. Dhaval G. Bhanusali of Hudson Dermatology and Laser Surgery, who previously operated on Bridger Walker, the 6-year-old boy who saved his sister from a dog attack in July 2020 and underwent a two-hour surgery that required nearly 100 stitches. Bridger was later dubbed a “hero” and received support from several A-list celebrities on social media.

Bhanusali agreed to treat Harris’s scars immediately. “He changed my life,” Harris said. “He was the first person to tell me I was going to be okay. Hearing that was enough. It was the first time someone was on my side who could actually do something.”

Bhanusali’s approach to medicine, particularly in cases like Harris’s, involves treating patients as quickly and aggressively as possible. “The traditional belief was that you had to wait at least a year to treat any traumatic scarring. [and] later studies have shown that the ideal time to treat any scar is as soon as possible. I usually treat days after suture removal,” Bhanusali told ABC News.

Bhanusali’s treatment plan for Harris included three sessions with a Sciton Erbium laser to retexturize the scar and a Cutera XLV+ laser to help with the redness. In a process called Device Assisted Precision Therapy, he used the lasers to apply topical steroids to Harris’s scars to help the product penetrate.

Finally, as he neared the end of the treatment, he incorporated traditional steroid injections to smooth out any residual scar tissue.

Coupled with a customized scar cream, Harris’ scars virtually disappeared in about six months. “Humanity in medicine is the most important part,” said Bhanusali. “I was lucky to be connected with Jamie and I’m glad I could help.”

Harris and Bhanusali’s story, however, does not end there. As a medical student, Harris now follows Bhanusali into her New York office, where she can watch her procedures and meet with her patients, helping her get a feel for the day-to-day life of working in a busy dermatology facility. practice. Harris also hopes to learn directly from the doctor who operated on her the techniques that were used to treat her traumatic scars.

In addition to hands-on medical experience, Harris is working to mirror the care he received from Bhanusali and his team.

“I want to repay all the compassion and excellent care I have received,” she said. “Everyone was rooting for me in that office and Dr. Bhanusali treated me like family – just as he treats each of his patients.”

Overcoming traumatic scarring led Harris to want to help other scarred patients in their medical pursuits, particularly children who must deal with their trauma before they develop the mental and emotional maturity to understand what is going on.

“She will retain that experience and be able to empathize with each patient who is moving forward and will be a much better doctor because of it,” Bhanusali said.

For anyone dealing with their own scars, Harris added, “Your concerns are not superficial. I understand and I’m fighting for you. I’m trying to be the person who’s there to improve your chance of recovery.”