“I feel better every day. You guys are on top of the world. Thanks for giving me a second lease on life.”

It was a strange reunion at the May employee forum when Lisa Hoyle first met the Henry Mayo doctors and nurses who took care of her.  They remembered her well, from the moment she was brought into the ER unconscious with a serious head injury. In her mind, however, Hoyle was meeting them for the first time at this Henry Mayo gathering almost four months after her accident. Hoyle had almost no memory of her time here, which is not unusual for a brain trauma patient.

Hoyle, 40, a professional stunt woman who has appeared in numerous major films including Pirates of the Caribbean, was filming in Santa Clarita on Feb. 2, 2011, for a television series. Her husband, Darium Jakubik, helped her fill in the gaps as she recounted the events leading up to her accident. For Hoyle, who has jumped off 10-story buildings, her recovery would prove to be most challenging.

The crew was filming a scene when Hoyle was hit by a moving vehicle as she stood next to a parked car. It all happened very fast. She was unconscious with eyes dilated when the ambulance arrived and transported her to Henry Mayo. Following emergency surgery on her brain, Hoyle spent about two more weeks at Henry Mayo, recovering amazingly fast. Hoyle also received occupational and speech therapy in the acute rehabilitation unit (ARU). On Feb. 16, Hoyle was transferred by ambulance to Casa Colena in Pomona, a rehabilitative hospital specializing in brain and spine injuries, where she stayed for two months of intense therapy.

Jakubik, Lisa’s husband, had nothing but praise for Henry Mayo staff. “From start to finish, they taught me a lot about what health care is all about and made me appreciate what you all do,” he said. “The doctors, nurses, everyone from the front desk to the operating room were the greatest bunch of people that I ever wanted to meet.

“She’s doing unbelievably awesome,” he continued. “And I can’t thank everyone enough. It’s all so amazing.”

To which Hoyle added, “I feel better every day. You guys are on top of the world. Thanks for giving me a second lease on life.”

Hoyle, who works and trains every day, said she plans to go back to work when she fully recovers.

“It’s wonderful to see her this way. She was extremely sick when she came in. She has made remarkable progress. Thanks to teamwork and the resources we have, we are so lucky to have a trauma system in place here.”