August 28, 2009
People We Care About
Following is a feature in the Message, designed to help draw together the People of God in southwestern Indiana. Readers are invited to submit information about people who may benefit by some extra prayers and attention.
• Charlene Fiedler, youth ministry coordinator at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville, e-mails an update about parishioner Erik Goodge who is at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md.
“He was on a mission sweeping for IEDs with members of the Afghan National Army. They had completed one side of the road and were crossing to the other side when an Afghan soldier stepped on one. It killed him and the soldier behind Erik. Erik’s injuries are a skull fracture, facial fractures on the right side of his face, his right eye is in place but extremely swollen, the orbit of the eye is fractured and the bottom eye lid seems to be gone.
“Initial facial surgery was done in Germany and it looks like they did a magnificent job. He has two small areas of bleeding on the brain and has had some spinal fluid leakage. There is a drain in his back that is taking off some of the spinal fluid every hour in order to take off the pressure and the plan is that the leakage areas will heal themselves.”
There has been “immense improvement in the swelling of the eye and in his overall appearance. He has lost a lot of weight, is slightly unstable on his feet and in a lot of pain.
“He is scheduled for additional surgery on Thursday to remove bone fragments and begin some facial reconstruction. Erik insists that no one think of him as a hero. He says he was just doing his job as a Marine. He wants us to remember his unit. They have lost eight members in the last few weeks and several others, like Erik have been injured.”
Cards and letters may be sent to: Cpl Erik Goodge, c/o National Naval Medical Center – Bethesda, 8901 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20889.
Please send information for PEOPLE WE CARE ABOUT to Mary Ann Hughes, The Message, P.O. Box 4169, Evansville, IN 47724. The e-mail address is mhughes@evansville-diocese.org.