Patient Stories
Belton Regional Medical Center
Jeanne Hopkins has relied on Belton Regional Medical Center and her primary care physician, Gary Gustafson, DO, for a quarter of a century. Jeanne has her yearly mammograms and regular bone density tests conducted at the facility’s state-of-the-art imaging department and her husband, Richard, also uses Dr. Gustafson and the hospital for various medical needs.
When Pleasant Hill, Mo., resident Sherry Brisbin found a lump in her breast during a routine self-examination in March, she felt a painful and tender history repeating itself.
Kathy Huntington has had multiple health issues requiring imaging, surgery, ICU care, and outpatient therapy. When she needed to have her left knee replaced in 2006 she decided to have the orthopedic procedure done at Belton Regional Medical Center with John A. Gillen, MD, an orthopedic surgeon
Centerpoint Medical Center
Zach Zorich has learned some hard lessons over the past several years. An outstanding athlete—he lettered in varsity baseball and varsity football for the Truman Patriots—Zach has sustained multiple head injuries playing the very games he loves.
Tom Loveless is a self-professed safety nut and always dons a helmet when skateboarding, and insists his children follow suit. But Tom admits he made a poor decision on Sunday, June 28, 2009. It was a crystal-clear day and the accomplished skateboarder wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather with a quick run at Lea McKeighan Park in Lee’s Summit. “I didn’t wear a helmet,” he says. “I crashed onto the concrete from 10 feet, the park’s highest point.”
At home in Independence, 8-month-old Mia Banks now laughs and is healthy after being born prematurely and fighting for months just to survive.
Lafayette Regional Health Center
There are three important motivators in David Rich’s life: his love of family, particularly his young grandsons; his passion for cycling; and his dedication to his 35-year-old dental practice in Lexington. When Dr. Rich needed to undergo a three-pronged surgery in April 2009 he was naturally concerned about recovery time and how quickly he could resume his active professional and personal pursuits.
Jean Beyer experienced symptoms last summer that are typical signs to get to an emergency department, stat. The 78-year-old Lexington resident had indications such as severe pain and a drawing down sensation in his neck that prompted a trip to Lafayette Regional Health Center one evening.
Wilmar Bramlett is thankful that a convenient facility with multiple services and caring staff such as Lafayette Regional Health Center is available to him for his medical needs. The 52-year old construction worker has lived in Lexington most of his life and depends on the hospital and its doctors for attentive service.
Lee's Summit Medical Center
Last December, right before Christmas, Donna Arbuckle experienced firsthand the patient-first care that is Lee's Summit Medical Center's trademark.
Lawrence Bolton learned he had Stage IV non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in February 2010 after a visit to the doctor for stomach pains.
Menorah Medical Center
Jennifer Fastner - underwent brain surgery for epileptic seizures she had experienced since she was seven days old. Treated unsuccessfully throughout her life with every medication available for epilepsy, Jennifer was growing weary of the 30- to 40-second seizures, which began to increase in frequency last summer—Jennifer was having two to four weekly. It was apparent the seizures were becoming resistant to medication.
Marilyn Coleman - the 62-year-old is now cancer-free and thinks her victory over the disease is largely due to the CyberKnife® treatments she had at Midwest Cancer Care at Menorah Medical Center.
Local philanthropist and cancer survivor, Marlene Krakow, shares her story of healing, courtesy of 435SouthMag.com.
Overland Park Regional Medical Center
Patrick Hamilton doesn’t know how it happened. One minute he was cruising on his new dirt bike, and the next minute he was cruising to the hospital in the back of an ambulance.
Laura Kellogg had learned to live with migraine headaches. For more than 20 years – since the age of seven – they struck like clockwork once, sometimes, twice a month. And when they did, Laura retreated to her dark and quiet bedroom to lie down and simply wait out the excruciating head pain and its accompanying nausea and vomiting.
Lorri Roth was the first person in October (2012) to get her mammogram and receive a free mini-pedicure kit!
Research Medical Center
Hillard Rogers is a two-time survivor of prostate cancer. He was first diagnosed at the age of 69 following a routine physical. He made an appointment to see John Sheldon, MD, a radiation oncologist at Research Medical Center.
Rita Garcia, known for her brilliant smile and bubbly disposition, was alarmed when she detected a small drop of blood in her urine the morning before her annual physical. Following a biopsy, Rita was told by her doctor that she had uterine cancer.
42-year-old Kansas City resident, Jerry Keithline, experienced get-your-attention symptoms in October 2001: increased heart rate, chest pains, coughing and night sweats.
