Patient Spotlight: Norman Goins, 91
When our clinician lifted the dressing, Joyce Goins started to cry.
For the past five months, she had watched her 91-year-old husband, Norman, battle a pressure ulcer that developed while he was left unturned while receiving care in a hospital. The wound, a painful pressure ulcer on his sacrum measuring more than 16 square centimeters, disrupted his sleep and stole his independence.
But on this October afternoon of 2025, standing in the couple’s Virginia home, Joyce’s tears weren’t from grief. They were from disbelief and pure joy.
After only two placental graft treatments by Rebirth Advanced Healing, Norman’s wound had closed and our team proudly discharged him from further treatments.
Those were tears of joy.
“Everyone [at Rebirth] is so nice, professional, friendly, and prompt,” Joyce Goins said.
It’s important to note that most chronic wound patients we treat average six to eight treatments in order to see significant improvement.
When our team first met Norman in August 2025, he was already receiving care through the Carilion Wound Clinic, where a wound vac had been placed to help manage the pressure ulcer on his lower back. The wound vac had done important early work, creating a clean, healthy wound bed and reducing the drainage that had stalled healing.
By the time Rebirth Advanced Healing was referred to his case, Norman’s wound was ready for advanced treatment.
From there, our nurse practitioner Nancy Marshall worked closely with Nayar Home Health to coordinate care and determine the best next steps for Norman. After a thorough assessment, Nancy decided that placental grafting would help accelerate closure and complete the healing process the wound vac had started.
It’s important to note that in many cases, patients can receive grafting treatments alongside wound vac therapy when it’s clinically appropriate. At Rebirth, we collaborate with existing care teams to decide what’s best for each patient, whether that means continuing a vac, transitioning to grafting, or using both approaches in sequence to ensure the best possible outcome.
For Norman, that partnership paid off. The combination of early wound-vac management and advanced grafting allowed for complete healing after only two treatments, an exceptional outcome for a 91-year-old patient. These types of results backs up Rebirth’s incredible 98.8% wound improvement rate.
Life will likely be more comfortable for Norman going forward.
A lifelong woodworker, he loves spending time in his workshop, “tinkering around,” as his wife Joyce puts it. Whether it’s repairing something or building something, Norman’s happiest when his hands are busy.
For months, that simple joy had been on hold. But now, with his wound fully healed, Norman can get back to doing what he loves, one careful project at a time.
