Elwood “Woody” Hamilton

Around 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve 2023, Elwood “Woody” Hamilton’s life was shaken up in an unexpected way. Hamilton and his wife, Lisa, were settled in their Louisville home reflecting on the year and making plans for the year ahead. They had started a fire and Hamilton propped his feet on the hearth of the fireplace.

Hamilton was diagnosed with neuropathy months before this evening. As his feet were warming by the fire, he was unaware they were actually burning.

“With the neuropathy, I thought I could feel my feet, but obviously I didn’t,” he shared. “Within seconds my feet were literally fried. We have a gas fireplace, which heats up very quickly.”

Lisa got him to an emergency room, but Hamilton was then transferred to the UofL Health –
UofL Hospital – Burn Center.

Hamilton’s first surgery was 6 a.m. New Year’s Day, and he told his surgeon that his goal was to be able to walk again.

“So many of the surgeons and everyone on that team brought us an indescribable sense of peace in the midst of these unknowns and what-if situations,” Lisa said. Hamilton describes the team at UofL Health as “unbelievable. The care, compassion, and love I got made everything so
much easier on me.”

Hamilton first walked by himself into outpatient care on April 11, 2024, without assistance or a walker, but the experience affected him in more ways than just the physical changes his body has gone through. To express gratitude for the compassionate care he received, he established the Hamilton Family Fund to support future patients of the UofL Hospital Burn Program.

“Your life can change in an instant… I was scared of the unknown that was before me. The care the nurses, surgeons, and the entire medical staff gave to me had a very calming way of helping me through the trauma. The empathy, compassion, and care that I received from the moment I was transported to the UofL Hospital emergency room and then to the burn unit was my reason for giving back. It was life changing and I can’t give back enough,” he says.

To make a difference like Woody, consider making a gift to the Hamilton Family Fund today: