Fire Captain Pete Dern goes home.
After nearly six months, 22 surgeries and hours of rehab, Dern is now home with his family.
He was released from CRMC to a crowd waiting outside, as hundreds of firefighters, Chief Kerri Donis, community members, Dern’s family and hospital staff including Leon S. Peters Burn Nurse Sandra Yovino (seen pictured) showed up to send him off.
There were both tears and applause as Captain Dern walked slowly to the podium.
‘It took a lot of people to fix me, and I still have a long way to go, but I feel pretty good right now, I feel really good.” – Pete Dern.
Dern left the hospital with a fire truck salute, and about a hundred of firefighters —lining the walkway as he walked to his car – without a wheelchair and with his family by his side.
