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William Thoman had all the typical warning signs of a heart in distress: shortness of breath, chest pain, heartburn, and indigestion. He struggled to do basic things around his home. These weren’t normal symptoms of ageing—they were signs of a life threatening condition.
William immediately made an appointment
for a stress test. As feared; something
was wrong with William’s heart. His doctor
in Scranton, Pennsylvania recommended
a simple procedure called a stent implant,
hoping to prop open the arteries in his heart
to improve blood flow. William was assured
that this would solve his problem.
Once the doctors began the process, they
soon realized that they couldn’t open up
his artery because it was completely
blocked by calcium. This minimally invasive
procedure was about to turn into major
open-heart surgery. As one of Jehovah’s
Witnesses, a blood transfusion was out of
the question, and most hospitals consider
transfusions as standard care for open-heart
surgery. At only 55 years of age, William
found himself in a dilemma with his life
hanging in the balance.
“When I woke up, the doctors told me they
needed to do bypass surgery on me the very
next day. But the more we talked to them
the more we realized that they weren’t
comfortable with my beliefs on blood,” recalls
William. “They told me they wouldn’t do
the surgery [without blood] but would refer
me to another doctor.”
William’s wife, Helen, explains how terrifying
this was, “They asked us if we really
wouldn’t take blood, implying that maybe
we would bend our beliefs if the situation
called for it. There was so much pressure on
us, as though he would die if we didn’t agree
and do the surgery with blood transfusions
the next day.” The pressure was making
William feel even worse.
“I was very anxious. I felt that they wouldn’t
abide by my wishes. It was horrible. I
couldn’t wait to get out of that hospital!”
A friend heard about the Thoman’s plight
and referred them to Englewood Hospital |
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and Medical Center where the Bloodless
Institute assured them that the surgery
could be done in a timely manner, and
more importantly, their beliefs would be
honored. They packed their bags and drove
to Englewood, NJ, confident that this was
the right choice.
“It was like a hotel,” states William. “They
set my wife up in a room and it was an
overall wonderful experience. Meeting our
surgeon Dr. Klein was so different than the
other doctors we dealt with. He was so calm
and very reassuring. Seeing him in person
made me feel so much better and there was
never any pressure regarding blood.”
Dr. Klein, Director of Cardiothoracic
Surgery, performed Quadruple Bypass
Surgery on William, and repaired a small
hole in his heart—all completely bloodless.
The Thoman Family still can’t believe the
difference from one hospital to the next. Just
talking about their time spent at the original
hospital gives them chills, but they truly feel
that their experience at Englewood saved
William’s life.
“Now I feel great and my heart is great.
I have no chest pain or indigestion. I tell
everyone in the world to go to Englewood!”
The Thoman Family is so thankful that they
found Englewood Hospital and Medical
Center and their specialized Cardiac Surgeons.
William is back on track and once again,
busy with everyday activities—but more
importantly, he is back to living his life
with nothing standing in his way.
Article Source:
BLOODLESS CHOICES|Fall/Winter 20071
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From Distress to Success:
