Trinidad Navarrete can enjoy a full meal without pain.
It something many of us may take for granted. But for Navarrete, consuming even a small amount of food used to cause severe abdominal discomfort.
This went on for nearly a year. Her doctors in Florida were unable to come up with a diagnosis, and by last April, she had lost more than a quarter of her body weight. By then she had left Florida to move in with her daughter and son-in-law in Avon.
“When my mother first arrived at our home she was 91 pounds, anemic, and could not walk more than 20 feet without becoming winded. She could not retain any food in her system,” says Elizabeth Curreri. “Our primary care physician, Dr. Tom Manger, graciously accepted my mother as a new patient, which began her road to recovery.”
The next few months included two surgical procedures and recoveries at UConn John Dempsey Hospital.
“The talented medical professionals at UConn Health were able to diagnose and correct in two months what her previous physicians could not diagnose for nearly a year,” Curreri says. “And the University Tower is a magnificent building. The rooms are calming in appearance with beautiful views, which make a patient want to get better to be able once again enjoy the outdoors. More importantly, it’s a state-of-the-art facility with a very capable medical staff.”
Dr. Juyong Lee is the interventional cardiologist who placed two stents in Navarrete’s arteries, restoring full blood flow to and from her heart. In a separate procedure Dr. Jeffrey Indes, chief of vascular and endovascular surgery, placed a stent in an abdominal artery. Dr. Kai Chen started monitoring her cardiac health and continues to today.
“I have graduated from being confined to a wheelchair, to using a walker, and now only a cane, and I hope to soon be able to put my cane into storage,” Navarrete says. “Today I eat full meals without any pain. Today I can walk without my heart racing and becoming very tired. Today I can enjoy my life with my daughter and son-in-law and the many friends I have already made in Connecticut and at UConn Health.”
Dr. Dawn Murphy, geriatrician and transitionist, provided follow-up care during Navarrete’s recovery in the hospital, and continued that care and during Navarrete’s rehabilitation at the Avon Health Center, where the staff threw her a surprise party for her 88th birthday.
“When she first arrived in Connecticut, she was so weak and frail that we were quite fearful that her chances of recovery were bleak,” Curreri says. “Now she has returned to the wonderful, cheerful mother who raised me. We now laugh together, share life experiences together and we can once again go shopping together!”
