Patient Stories
Everyday generous donors like you are saving countless lives by making sure area residents have access to high-quality healthcare close to home – at Silver Cross Hospital.
With your (ongoing) help, Silver Cross can continue to bring new facilities and innovative therapies delivered by compassionate caregivers to heal more patients. Every dollar raised is invested locally to treat patients the way they should be treated at Silver Cross Hospital.
Open Heart Surgery Saves Life
Peter Wilkes remembers waking up in recovery at Silver Cross Hospital with his wife Sarah and his cardiologist looking over him. He was scheduled for surgery to repair blocked arteries when cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Pat Pappas and his team found severe blockage in all major arteries requiring a quadruple bypass. “The bypass had immediate success” Peter said. “Each day that went by, I felt better. I wasn’t tired at the end of the day. And I can run 30 minutes without a problem. I can’t tell you how great I feel.”
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Beating Kidney Cancer
Tom Welsh, a talented musician who also happens to be a Silver Cross Hospital volunteer, made a visit to the hospital’s emergency department. He thought he had a kidney stone. Instead, he received a life-changing cancer diagnosis. Fortunately, Tom’s kidney cancer could be treated by removing the tumor with robotic surgery. “It was a relief to know there would be little interruption to my lifestyle, especially getting back to playing drums with my fellow bandmates,” Tom said. Seven days after my surgery, I was riding my bicycle!”
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Back to Normal after Brain Surgery
Brian Wood survived a brain aneurysm after being rushed to the Silver Cross Emergency Department with the worst headache of his life. After undergoing a complex procedure known as coiling to prevent additional bleeding, he recovered at Silver Cross due to a unique partnership with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly RIC) – the #1 Rehabilitation Hospital in the U.S. since 1991. “I’ve had to relearn how to walk and do daily tasks that most take for granted,” said Brian. “But thanks to excellent therapists, I am walking, driving and getting back to my everyday normal!”
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Sleeping and Breathing Better
Melissa and Bryan McCormick were thrilled when they learned their 5-year-old daughter, Emmy, could have the best of both worlds - surgery performed by a Lurie Children’s Hospital pediatric specialist at their community hospital. After months of trying to navigate the world of chronic throat and ear infections, their pediatrician referred them to Dr. Eric Johnston who performed a tonsillectomy, adenoid removal and ear tube placement to drain the fluid in her ears. “My husband and I were nervous about our daughter having surgery, but the staff at Silver Cross Hospital and Dr. Johnston made us feel confident all would go well – and it did,” said Melissa.
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