Doris Potter was traveling alone hundreds of miles from her home in Northwest Arkansas when the 85-year-old fell and broke seven bones while rushing to catch a flight at D/FW International Airport.
“It happened so fast,” she says of her September 2025 fall. “I must have had my arms out trying to catch myself.”
At D/FW Airport, Doris quickly found herself in the care of strangers, her fellow travelers, and later the staff at Methodist Southlake Medical Center. Through it all, she never felt alone, she says.
“Between the strangers who helped me, and the staff at Methodist Southlake, I felt like I was in good hands,” Doris says.
RACING FOR HER GATE
Doris’ day began at 3 a.m. in Bentonville, Arkansas. The retired teacher flew out of Northwest Arkansas National Airport, and her plane landed late at D/FW, meaning she would have to rush to her connecting flight.
“I hurried as much as I could,” Doris recalled. “The original flight was still there, but they wouldn’t let me board. So I started toward another gate, and that’s when I tripped and fell face down on the floor.”
The fall left Doris with five broken bones in her right arm and two in her left shoulder, along with cuts on her face. Bleeding and stunned, she recalled the kindness of travelers who refused to walk away.
“A couple stopped and said, ‘We’ve got time. We’ll stay until the paramedics come,’” Doris says. “They brought paper towels from one of the shops to help clean my face.”
Paramedics soon arrived and took Doris to Methodist Southlake, where a team led by Bantoo Sehgal, MD, orthopedic surgeon on the medical staff, performed emergency surgery that evening.
“Everybody was so nice,” Doris says. “They kept checking on me, explaining what they were doing, and making sure I was comfortable.”
Doris (with daughter, Brenda) needed a metal plate and a dozen screws to repair her right arm.
‘PAINSTAKING’ SURGERY
Doris’ injuries were especially severe because the fall involved both of her arms, Dr. Sehgal says.
“The surgical side was really bad,” Dr. Sehgal explains. “She broke her right arm in five different places near her shoulder, and it was significantly displaced.”
Surgery required an incision that stretched nearly the length of her right arm. To stabilize the fractures, the surgical team used a long metal plate and more than a dozen screws.
“We had to put everything back together carefully,” Dr. Sehgal says. “There are a lot of nerves in that area, so we had to be very careful to put the plate underneath them. It’s a painstaking process.”
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RECOVERY TAKES TIME
For such severe injuries, Dr. Sehgal says, healing takes patience and time — up to six months — to get back to normal activities.
“The key is to listen to your doctors and your occupational therapist,” he says. “Even if progress feels slow, we want everything to heal properly before you start pushing movement.”
Even amid the pain, Doris was very optimistic, her surgeon remembers.
“She was so happy we were able to get her in and fix her that night,” Dr. Sehgal recalls. “She and her daughter were just grateful we could take care of her quickly.”
Doris’ family — including grandson Jimmy, daughter Brenda, and great-grandson Henry — is always by her side.
‘MEANT THE WORLD TO US’
Meanwhile, Doris’ daughter, Brenda, and her son-in-law began a six-hour drive from Northwest Arkansas as soon as they got the call.
“The nurses at Methodist Southlake called us every couple of hours during the drive,” Brenda says. “They made sure we could be waiting in her room when she came out of surgery. That compassion meant the world to us.”
For Brenda, that care extended beyond her mother.
“They didn’t just care for her, they cared for us, too,” Brenda said. “It gave us peace to know she was in good hands.”
After surgery, Doris was released from Methodist Southlake and spent two weeks in intensive physical therapy in Arkansas.
Each session brought progress, but those first days were hard for Doris: Dressing, eating, and even brushing her hair required help.
“I had to learn patience,” she says. “They say I’m doing well. I can move my arms a lot more now, and they brag about the surgeon’s work. They say he did a fine job.”
At home in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, Doris’ family has been by her side every step of the way: Brenda and her husband stay with Doris at night, and her granddaughter stays with her during the day.
As she focuses on healing, Doris hopes to make that trip to Alabama one day. For now, she’s thankful for the care and compassion that turned a frightening day into a story of grace.
“There are still kind people in this world,” she says, reflecting on the strangers and hospital staff who cared for her. “I was lucky enough to meet them when I needed them most.”
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