A snow day that turned into a story of gratitude

For Amon and Joy Couch, serving their community has always been part of who they are.

Both dedicated their careers to education. Joy spent years teaching in schools, shaping young lives in the classroom. Amon served in leadership roles within the school system, including as a superintendent. Together, they invested decades into the families of Eastern Kentucky.

So when a winter morning suddenly shifted from grandparent joy to medical emergency, they experienced their community’s care in a new way.

An unexpected fall

In early February, school was closed due to snow. Amon and Joy decided to spend the day at their daughter’s home, where they were looking forward to time with their youngest grandson. With two grandsons born just five months apart, this season of life felt especially meaningful.

When they arrived, everything looked normal. But in a shaded area of the driveway, several inches of ice had formed.

Joy took two steps and fell hard.

The pain was immediate and intense.

“She was in excruciating pain,” Amon recalls. “When I helped her stand, she screamed. I knew something was very wrong.”

With freezing temperatures and slick conditions, Amon wrapped Joy in blankets and carefully lifted her onto the tailgate of a nearby truck while they waited for emergency responders. When the EMTs arrived, their calm presence and compassion brought reassurance in a frightening moment.

“They were so kind, so professional and so caring,” Amon says. “You could tell they truly wanted to take care of her.”

Immediate care close to home

At AdventHealth Manchester, the emergency department team quickly assessed Joy’s injuries. X-rays confirmed her ankle was broken in multiple places and dislocated.

The ER team carefully reset the dislocation and stabilized her ankle. Though surgery could not take place that evening, there was hope for the next day. Dr. Gupta, whose surgery schedule was already full, made room for Joy.

“We were blessed,” Amon says. “He worked her in.”

Dr. Gupta performed surgery the following day, and Joy began her recovery — six weeks of no weight-bearing, along with physical therapy and follow-up care.

Care that felt like family

For a couple who has spent their lives caring for others, being on the receiving end of care was humbling.

Throughout their stay, nurses checked in often and made sure Joy was comfortable. A physical therapist patiently taught her how to use a walker. The hospital chaplain stopped by to offer encouragement. Even the EMTs who transported her returned later that day on another call and made time to check on her.

“Who does that?” Amon says. “Nobody does that.”

To the Couch family, the experience felt deeply personal.

“These are our neighbors,” Amon says. “They talk like we talk. They’re from here. They treated us like family.”

With a lifelong background in education and leadership, Amon understands how culture shapes experience.

“You can tell when something intentional has taken place,” he says. “It’s obvious there’s a patient-centered culture there. People love what they do. They care.”

Healing body, mind and spirit

Today, Joy is progressing well in her recovery. While the fall was painful and unexpected, the experience reaffirmed something meaningful about their hometown hospital.

“I’m proud that this hospital in our community provides that kind of care,” Amon says. “You hear people say it’s good. But when you experience it yourself, it’s different.”

As a faith-based health system, AdventHealth is committed to extending the healing ministry of Christ by caring for the whole person — body, mind and spirit. For Amon and Joy, that commitment was more than words. It was something they experienced firsthand.

“It was a really hard day,” Amon says. “But the people at AdventHealth made it so much better.”

And for two lifelong educators who have spent years investing in their community, it meant something special to receive that same care in return.