James Peach was a correctional officer for Hardee Correctional Institute and was a
victim of a near-fatal assault by inmates. On the day of the incident, Peach was lining
up the inmates and carrying out his duties. The aftermath left him with four brain
bleeds, two fractures in his neck, and a ruptured eardrum, and he was given a 1% chance
of survival. Peach was left unable to talk, breathe on his own, or eat, facing an
incredibly complex and dire medical situation.
After the assault, Peach was airlifted to a hospital where he died in the intensive
care unit (ICU) three times and then was finally resuscitated. Peach then received
a tracheostomy because he was unable to breathe or eat on his own and was bed-bound
in a hospital for eight months until he was finally referred to Dr. Yaël Bensoussan,
MD, MSC, director of the USF Health Voice Center at the USF Health Morsani College
of Medicine.
Dr. Bensoussan was unsure she was going to be able to help Peach yet, once she took Peach into the operating room and assessed the status of his condition, she discovered a small passage in Peach’s airway, sparking a glimmer of hope. From that point onward, Dr. Bensoussan performed a series of surgeries, which gradually restored Peach’s ability to speak, eat, and breathe independently.
“I remember the moment I realized that there was a little passage,” Dr. Bensoussan said. “Although it was, small, I was so happy and starting from there, we just did surgery by surgery, and he got better and better to get him where he is today.”
Peach reflected on the pivotal role Dr. Bensoussan played in his recovery, stating, “She did what nobody else would do, and did what everyone said couldn’t be done.” “Everything she tried and suggested worked perfectly,” Peach said. “I was just about to give up, I couldn’t see going that extra mile until Dr. Bensoussan got that trach out and started me on a path that took all my doubt away.”
Throughout Peach’s recovery, his wife, Cynthia, stood by his bedside. She offered him support, love, and encouragement during every moment of his remarkable comeback.
“My wife was there every second of every minute of every day for those eight months,” Peach said. “I felt so much better once the trach was gone and once I heard myself tell my wife I love you.”
Peach remains grateful for the second chance at life that Dr. Bensoussan provided to him. With immense appreciation he said:
“I may never get back to the man I was, but if 50% is all I get, fine. I did not stop at that 1% that they gave me... Dr. Bensoussan, thank you for saving my life, and giving me the desire to live, and to fight for another day.”
Story and video by Ryan Rossy, USF Health Communications and Marketing.
Personal photos of James Peach are courtesy of the Peach family.