Some Call It Fate

SOME CALL IT FATE

Our daughter Mylina and her husband Steve live in Baltimore where she sells real estate. In June a new client contacted her, who was relocating from Chicago. She learned that Dr. Gene Khavkin was a neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Over the course of the next several months, Mylina and Steve met his girlfriend and the four of them became friends. Soon after he arrived at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Gene made medical history by doing a minimally invasive spinal surgery. Typically removing a tumor from the spine requires going in through the side, removing a rib, collapsing a lung and moving the heart in order to remove a tumor. This new way is a much less invasive procedure and one that allows the patient to heal much faster.
In late September we learned that my younger sister Diana, had a tumor on her spine. At first it was diagnosed as possible cancer, but after visiting several doctors and having many tests, it was determined it was a benign bone tumor which had eaten the vertebrae completely. She needed immediate surgery. Living in south Florida she contacted the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and eventually settled on the University of Miami Hospital. We (the Northern group) were encouraging her to go to Baltimore. She sent her films to Dr. Gene who agreed with the diagnosis and said he schedule her for surgery if she chose to come to Johns Hopkins.
One week before the surgery was scheduled, the Miami surgeon requested a test that four other doctors had advised her not to have done. She had a verbal disagreement with him and after much shouting and crying, called Dr. Gene in Baltimore. Hurricane Wilma was in the ocean off Miami and I was having trouble getting a flight out to Miami, while my mom was having trouble finding a hotel for all of us. Although the trip to Baltimore was a bit more inconvenient, and meaning that the whole family could not travel to be with her, we all agreed that she would be in the best of care if she had the operation in Baltimore.
Last Friday they met with Dr. Gene and his associate who detailed the complexity of the surgery and we learned that they were both the country’s top surgeons in their fields. On Monday Diana checked into Johns Hopkins. On Tuesday she had a procedure done to help seal off the arteries feeding the tumor. On Thursday she had a 10 ½ hour surgery that removed the tumor from the back instead of going in through her side.
The Miami doctor said she would have to be in a body brace for 12 weeks; instead she will be able to walk out of the hospital sometime next week without ever wearing a brace. Her healing time will be much shorter.
Who would have guessed that when Mylina met a new client in Baltimore, his skills would reach across the country to impact a life in South Florida? Some people would call that Fate; we, being in the midst of the storm, call it divine intervention.
Whatever you call it, I sit here, less than 24 hours later and call it a miracle.