Eskenazi Health Patient Stories

| Eskenazi Health Patient Testimonial |

Patient Appreciates Quality Care She’s Received Since 1953

LaVada Clark is a remarkably youthful, enthusiastic and strong-willed woman who has a quick wit, a positive outlook on life, a hearty laugh and a wonderful sense of humor.

Her first visit to Eskenazi Health (then named Indianapolis General Hospital) occurred at age 16, when she accepted a job working in the student dining room serving nurses and doctors, along with patients on the various wards.

Her first child was born in 1955 at Indianapolis General Hospital, as were four of her total of five children. For many years she remained – along with her children – patients of General Hospital, which became Wishard Memorial Hospital in 1975.

Clark moved away from the area in 2013 and then moved back near Eskenazi Health in 2019. When she was admitted to the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital on July 6, 2020, with pain in her upper stomach, it didn’t take long for Eskenazi Health physicians to discover she had pancreatitis, which is an inflammation in the pancreas. The pancreas is a long, flat gland that sits tucked behind the stomach in the upper abdomen.

After going through a CT scan and an MRI, Clark had gall bladder removal surgery on July 10. The surgery was a complete success, and Clark is very happy to express how well she was treated and cared for at Eskenazi Health.

“Can I go on national TV primetime and talk about how great an experience this was?” she said. “Everyone at Eskenazi Health was fantastic, and I feel that the excellent care that was given to me during my hospital stay played a very important role in my recovery.”

Clark is grateful to her medical team that included internal medicine specialist Khurram Siddiqui, M.D., and many others on the Eskenazi Health staff who contributed in a variety of ways that resulted in her successful procedure and recovery.

“Everything was wonderful, and I know I was very sick,” Clark said. “I said it to my family and my friends, ‘Who goes into the hospital and comes out talking about how they had a good time?’ That would be nobody but me, because I did. It was really nice.”

Now that Clark has returned to residing in close proximity to Eskenazi Health and is regularly seeing Senior Care physician Jennifer Carnahan, M.D. (who she adores), she’ll never wander away again.

“I came back, and I’m glad I did,” Clark said. “People talk about good service, but how often do we get it? I always get great care at Eskenazi Health, and I know they’ll keep up the good work for me and all their patients.”

| Eskenazi Health Patient Testimonial |

Longtime Employee Prevails Against COVID-19

What became a precarious and terrifying journey began on March 15, 2020, with an offand-on fever, along with some minor gastrointestinal discomfort. Natalie Fitzgerald, BSN, RN, had no idea then that she would soon be in grave danger and an intense two-week fight for her life versus COVID-19 was on the horizon.

Fitzgerald, who has been with Eskenazi Health since 1996 and is the clinical educator for the Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center at Eskenazi Health, began developing a low-grade fever but wasn’t “feeling too bad” until about 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 22.

“I started feeling short of breath and wasn’t really sure what was going on, but I thought I was OK and that I’d stay at home thinking it wasn’t too bad, but then early in the morning on the 23rd around 3:30 a.m., I believed I was in worse shape and decided I needed to go to the hospital. That’s when I called for an ambulance to take me to Eskenazi Health.”

Upon arrival, Fitzgerald was rushed into one of Eskenazi Health’s shock rooms, where acutely ill patients are brought to be stabilized prior to transfer to an intensive care unit or other department.

“The ICU doctor, Dr. Joe Smith, came down and talked to me saying that they thought I probably had COVID-19 and that their plan, because of the oxygen requirements that I had and what they had seen in other patients, was to probably intubate me when I got upstairs to the ICU. They also wanted to give me a little time to see if I could be stable on the oxygen they had me on,” Fitzgerald said.

Not showing signs of improvement, Fitzgerald, the mother of two sons and a daughter, was placed on a ventilator and heavily sedated for nearly two weeks. On April 6, the breathing tube was finally removed, though she has virtually no recollection of that or anything else that happened the following day.

“I have some really foggy memories of the first two days when I came out (of being deeply sedated),” she said. “Then on April 8, I was pretty awake and was able to work with physical therapy and a speech therapist for the first time. That was also, I believe, the first time I was able to talk with people. The physical therapist helped me find my phone so I could make calls, and I called my mom and dad, and then I spoke with my youngest son and my daughter.”

Fitzgerald remained at Eskenazi Health using a walker and undergoing occupational and speech therapy every day until departing on April 14. She arrived home without using a walking apparatus.

Fitzgerald has continued the physical therapy and enjoys taking walks with her son MJ, who encourages her to be steadfast with her therapy. She is also attending classes towards earning a master’s degree in nursing education. Fitzgerald considers her recovery from COVID-19 miraculous and is eternally grateful for the quality care she received at Eskenazi Health.

“The ICU team and the physicians are phenomenal. In the past, I had seen Dr. (Graham) Carlos and Dr. Smith in action and heard them talk, and I knew how good they were and what great teachers they are. I know they are among the very best. And the nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists are doing such good work, and I know that people are stepping out of their normal roles and stretching themselves so patients get what they need. That’s always what Eskenazi Health does. I would tell people that Eskenazi Health is always the best place to go all the time, and not just for COVID-19.”

April23, 2021

Greetings!

On behalfof the Cityof Indianapolis,Iwantto extend mysincerecongratulationsto St. Margaret’sHospitalGuild asyoucelebratethe 60th-anniversaryfundraiserof the Decorators’ShowHouseandGardens.This annualeventsupportsadditional programmingatEskenaziHealthandhascontributedto vitalmedicalservicesfor Indianapolis residents. This year, the selected show home is located at 5417 N. Meridian St. and aptly named the Columns on Meridian.

The Decorators Show House and Gardens, which restores classical homes to raise funds foravarietyof capitalimprovementsandprogramsforEskenaziHealth,hasbeena staple event for residents during Indianapolis springtime.

Foundedin 1907, the St.Margaret’sHospitalGuild,amostlywomen-ledorganization, hasdonatedover$13 milliontobenefitpatientsservedatEskenaziHealth.Thefunds fromthisyear’sshow homewillsupport the CenterforNursingExcellenceatEskenazi Health.

Again,congratulationstothe St.Margaret’sHospitalGuild on celebratingthe 60th anniversaryofthe Decorators’ShowHouseandGardens.Ithank youforyourvaluable contributionsto our communityandcommendyou in youreffortsto supportEskenazi Health.

Sincerely,

Joseph H.Hogsett Mayor City of Indianapolis