A Testament to Resilience: Paul's Surgical Recovery

Paul's health journey began with persistent gut pain, debilitating fatigue and a distended abdomen – symptoms he initially dismissed as "old age." Years passed and his pain escalated to an unbearable degree, leading him to seek medical attention. After an initial misdiagnosis, an emergency room visit revealed the truth: Paul had a large tumor within his abdomen.

The team at CHI St. Vincent Colorectal Surgery Clinic swiftly intervened. Lee Raley, MD, performed an ileostomy to bypass the obstruction caused by the tumor, providing Paul with immediate relief. This was followed by a year and a half of chemotherapy. The chemo proved challenging and resulted in severe skin reactions, and Paul’s care team decided to change his chemo plan altogether. However, with the tumor's size still causing complications, another expert was called in.

Abdelrahman Attili, MD, Paul's "heavy lifter," presented the option of a Whipple procedure. The Whipple was an aggressive approach, involving the removal of his gallbladder, appendix, part of his colon, a foot of intestine, part of his stomach and a baseball-sized tumor. Two months later, Paul underwent the life-saving operation. His recovery was difficult, but Dr. Attili's and his team were there every step of the way, encouraging Paul to walk and regain strength, and help ensure he would be around for many years to come.

Paul's story is a testament to the power of faith, the dedication of CHI St. Vincent’s care team and his own incredible resilience. Today, he is done with chemotherapy and his last PET scan shows no evidence of disease.

To hear more about Paul's inspiring journey and how he used humor and faith to navigate his challenges, watch the full podcast episode.