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HM_SJHC_Spring2024_final

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6 | Health Matters: Providence Saint John's Health Center Left: Denise, before and after. Right: Loretta, before and after. Neuroscience Institute. When Denise confirmed she had seen Dr. Kelly for her surgery, Loretta called his office right away and spoke with nurse practitioner Amy Eisenberg, who reviewed her MRI and told Loretta she needed to be seen urgently. FAITH RESTORED Because they had seen so many doctors who didn't take their symptoms seriously or misdiagnosed them, both sisters had lost confidence in medical professionals. But Dr. Kelly restored their faith. Each had a minimally invasive keyhole surgery within a week of her initial visit, and both went home the day after surgery—Denise with a two-inch incision behind her ear and Loretta with a small incision hidden in the eyebrow. "Dr. Kelly is amazing," says Denise. "You immediately sense his confidence and compassion. He listened and understood everything I was experiencing. It was such a relief." Her entire experience at Saint John's Health Center was nothing short of exceptional. "I couldn't believe how caring every single person was. I'm a spiritual person, and so many shared their faith with me. It was literally like a staff of angels." Loretta echoes these sentiments, adding, "Everyone explained what was going to happen along the way. The chaplain came in and prayed with me after my surgery. I was so surprised that I could go home the next day!" BACK TO NORMAL Seven years later, Denise is back to normal activities—walking, gardening and playing pickleball. The meningioma hasn't returned. Loretta's recovery is going well, with the minimal complication that her taste has been affected, a result of her tumor pressing on her left olfactory nerve. "I don't taste chocolate and certain sweets, which is difficult when you are a baker. Now my family tastes everything I bake for friends or clients." "Meningiomas are more common in women, probably because the tumors often have estrogen and progesterone receptors," explains Dr. Kelly. "We sporadically see them running in families, but such genetic syndromes are quite uncommon. Dr. Ora Gordon, Saint John's Cancer Institue director and geneticist, is running tests to see if there is a genetic component, especially given their cousin recently was diagnosed with a brain tumor." Dr. Kelly, Loretta and Denise all encourage you to listen to your body and get second opinions if you aren't getting a proactive response from your physician. "Often, brain tumor diagnoses get delayed because doctors typically consider them uncommon or even rare," says Dr. Kelly. "Symptoms can initially be quite subtle, and may include headaches, balance issues, weakness or sensory loss on one side of the body, a loss of smell and taste, personality changes and seizures. Brain tumor–related headaches generally evolve slowly and become persistent and severe as the tumors grow. There is a point where patients should advocate for a deeper dive," he adds. For Loretta and Denise, they are happy and relieved to be back to doing the things they love and are forever grateful to Dr. Kelly, his team and the caregivers at Saint John's Health Center. Dr. Daniel Kelly

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