Eileen S. - Black Diamond Ranch, FL

Vacation interrupted.

That Saturday had been perfect. Beautiful weather, busy schedule, delightful evening. When Eileen, a snowbird from New York, went to bed, she wasn’t experiencing a single pain, twinge, symptom or clue as to what was ahead. But at 1:30 a.m., she awoke in excruciating pain.

Two hours later, she was headed for emergency surgery at Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center. Her doctor made it clear that her bowel infarction was potentially fatal. The last she remembers is telling him, "Please do what you have to do as quickly as you can." The next thing she knew, she was waking up in ICU.

Ironically, Eileen is a nurse, so she knew how hard her nurses would have to work to meet her medical needs. "I just can’t say enough about the care... everyone, daytime, nighttime," she said.

Recuperation following this procedure is typically brutal, but Eileen had other plans. She worked through the mobility and eating phases of her recovery, and continues to improve. This winter wasn’t exactly the vacation she'd planned, but Eileen is feeling better every day.

Before heading back to New York, she was back in the saddle – literally – riding horses again, and playing golf and tennis. In fact, her golf game improved. And although she can’t credit the surgery for that, she’ll take the lower scores.