Grateful Patient Stories

After surgery, Dr. Kelly was there to share the good news that I would fully recover and return to normal functioning. I went back to work within 4-5 weeks and have had no further issues. The entire experience from admission through discharge was excellent, and I am grateful for everything done for me.

-Zara K.

I was feeling an emotional numbness, as if I was on a blank page of my life. I was in a total surrendered state. I was rushed to a hospital in Northern California and scheduled for brain surgery on March 26th due to the amount of pressure that was observed in my head from an MRI.

All of my life, I have been known to be a problem solver with an exceptional memory. Now, on Monday, March 24th, I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm waiting for brain surgery instead of delivering my work presentation. As thoughts raced through my mind of how this will impact my life, I got a call from my nephew. He is a Head and Neck surgeon and insisted I come to St. John’s hospital and have my surgery done by the best neurosurgeon, Dr. Dan Kelly. In my state of numbness, I thought about the seven hour drive it would take and said I would stay where I was. My nephew’s response: “No, you need to come to St. John’s where I would trust my own life and my wife’s life in Dr. Kelly’s hands”. I knew then I needed to be operated on by Dr. Kelly.

On March 25th, 2014, I arrived at the emergency room of Saint John’s hospital and was immediately met by Dr. Kelly and his team. I remember thinking how wonderful and caring Dr. Kelly and his team were from the moment I arrived. On March 26th I was operated on by Dr. Kelly and my tumor was removed. After surgery, Dr. Kelly was there to share the good news that I would fully recover and return to normal functioning. I went back to work within 4-5 weeks and have had no further issues. The entire experience from admission through discharge was excellent, and I am grateful for everything done for me. Now, more than a year later, I am as witty and sharp as ever and work out about 4 to 5 times a week with no more headaches nor any of the other symptoms I was experiencing.

I am grateful to Dr. Dan Kelly and the entire surgical and nursing staff team at St. John’s for caring for me like a member of the family. Working in the healthcare industry, I witness firsthand how many healthcare systems and providers profess that individualized care is at the center of their mission. The staff at Saint John’s lives this in their actions every day.