Every hour of every day, the quality of care that my wife received, was exceptional.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and admiration, to the staff of Stillwater Medical Center. Not for the first time, have they saved the life of my wife. While still in recovery from a recent stroke, she also faced a number of other medical concerns. One of which was an irregular heart rhythm. She was scheduled for a cardiac procedure on Friday. While preparing her, it was discovered that she had a fever, so the procedure was canceled. A possible source of infection was quickly identified, and treatment begun, along with further testing. A CT scan indicated that her condition was far more serious than originally suspected, and the infection was spreading rapidly. She went into emergency surgery on Sunday, to remove infected tissue from her upper right leg. This most certainly saved her life for the moment, but with so many other complications, her continued survival remained uncertain. She was placed in the Intensive Care Unit, still under sedation and on a respirator. Her condition was listed as critical.

I must confess that my first impression gave me cause for concern, due to the apparent youthfulness of many of the staff. My fears were very quickly relieved, as I began to observe these talented young professionals in the performance of their duties. They combined a wealth of knowledge and understanding with genuine compassion. Every hour of every day, the quality of care that my wife received, was exceptional. I was also kept extremely well informed by everyone involved in her care, at every step along the way.

A follow-up surgery on Tuesday confirmed the success of the first. There was no new or remaining infected tissue. Over the next few days, her heart rhythm and blood pressure were stabilized and she was taken off sedation. When she failed to regain consciousness, she was given a CT scan of her brain to determine whether any neurological damage had occurred from a stroke. Thankfully there was no indication of that. Eventually, my wife began to make slight movements. The next day she was able to open her eyes for a second, on many occasions. When she finally regained consciousness, she was taken off the respirator. On Monday, she was released from the Intensive Care Unit, and moved to another room. Her condition is still serious, and she faces a long road to recovery, but thanks to her doctors, nurses, therapists, and technicians, her recovery has begun.

Heaven forbid anyone should ever have a loved one in a similar condition. But if you do, you can rest assured that the care they will receive at Stillwater Medical Center is indeed intensive.