Volume I

Winter 2010

What If A Plane Ride To Phoenix Saved A Boy From Paralysis?

Jesse Cook has returned home to Simi Valley, California, after a frightening brush with a nearly inoperable brain abnormality. "We were told that the type of lesion Jesse had was extremely uncommon for his age and surgery was next to impossible," says Jesse's mom, Ann Marie. "We were prepared for the worst-case scenario and are grateful to Barrow."

Jesse first noticed symptoms in September when he came down with a stomach virus and complained of excruciating pain in his left arm. His parents took him to an emergency department where he lost feeling in all his extremities. He was paralyzed for nearly 15 hours and had limited function in his arm for six weeks. Doctors diagnosed an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a rare neurological disorder that causes abnormal tangles of arteries and veins in the spine. He was sent to Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Once at Children's, Jesse's team of neurosurgeons detected the complexity of the AVM and referred him to Barrow Neurological Institute for treatment. Barrow doctors found that Jesse's AVM was even more severe than originally believed. The AVM was feeding blood into his spinal cord, increasing his risk for paralysis.

Jesse underwent complex surgery in November at Barrow. Robert Spetzler, MD, director of Barrow, and Felipe Albuquerque, MD, who are experts in the treatment of AVM, led the surgical team, giving Jesse the best chance for a positive outcome.

Without surgery, Jesse had a high chance of becoming a quadriplegic. Because of the location and complexity of Jesse's AVM, the surgery itself had risks for paraplegia. The neurosurgeons were able to completely remove Jesse's malformation.

"Jesse's AVM was very rare and was one of the most difficult cases we've handled," says Dr. Spetzler. "I'm pleased that his surgery was very successful and his prognosis is excellent."

"We were told by so many people how risky my surgery would be that I was shocked when I woke up after surgery and learned that I didn't have any bad deficits," says Jesse. "I'm very thankful."

After his surgery, Jesse was looking forward to returning home to see his friends and siblings. When not in therapy, he stayed busy drafting football plays and asking hospital staff to sign his football. Although he may never be able to play football again, he has big dreams of becoming an attorney to negotiate player contracts.

"Words cannot describe how grateful I am," says Ann Marie. "My son has a chance to be successful one day because of Dr. Spetzler and Barrow."

Read other amazing patient stories at stjosephsamazing.org.

What If A Baby's Life Could Be Saved Before She Was Born?

A young Valley mother recently delivered healthy twin girls, thanks to a fetoscopy performed at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center before the babies were born. Gregg Giannina, MD, director of Fetal Surgery at St. Joseph's, performed the first successful procedure for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) in Arizona. When twins have TTTS, the blood flow in their shared placenta is uneven, causing one twin to receive too much blood and the other to receive too little. The twin receiving an over abundance of blood may experience heart failure due to continual strain on his or her cardiovascular system. The other twin may have a lack of fluid and an inadequate blood supply.

Fetoscopy is a mini-laparoscopic procedure (a surgery with the aide of a very small camera) in which a laser ablation is used in-utero to stop the abnormal blood flow in the placenta. Dr. Giannina is one of only a handful of doctors in the U.S. using this approach.

Dr. Giannina's patient was diagnosed with TTTS at 22 weeks into her pregnancy. She had the fetoscopy procedure the following day, and the twins were cured within the next week. Dr. Giannina followed the mother and twins throughout the remainder of her pregnancy. In October, two healthy twin girls were delivered by C-section at 36 weeks.

"Our goal in doing the fetoscopy is twofold: to cure the disease and to improve the quality of life for at least one and hopefully both twins," says Dr. Giannina. "The overall success rate for the chance of saving one baby is 80 percent. In this case, both babies were born healthy."

The Health & Wealth Raffle: Do People Really Win All Those Prizes?

When you receive an email or letter about entering the Health & Wealth Raffle, have you ever wondered, Why should I buy a ticket? Are all those prizes shown really given away? The Health & Wealth Raffle gets hundreds of emails, some from people whose lives have been saved by St. Joseph's and Barrow, and some from people excited about the prize they've won. But some of the emails ask those very questions, and we thought you'd like to hear the answers.

Why should I participate in the Health & Wealth Raffle?

Since 2003, the Raffle has raised nearly $50 million for St. Joseph's Hospital and Barrow Neurological Institute. Those dollars have been invested in clinical programs, research, and medical education. For example, Raffle dollars helped St. Joseph's establish the Valley's first Lung Transplant Center. Now, Arizonans with severe lung disease can stay close to home for lung transplant surgery and ongoing life-long care. The Lung Transplant Center is just one example of how the Health & Wealth Raffle is helping people in Arizona. In fact, so much funding has come from the Raffle that nearly every area of the hospital has benefited - which means better healthcare for you and your family.

Are all the prizes awarded?

Yes! Since 2003, the Health & Wealth Raffle has awarded every prize it has advertised - without exception. That's nearly 110,000 prizes, including 24 homes, more than 400 cars, nearly 350 dream vacations, and more than $12.5 million in cash. No matter how many tickets are sold, all advertised prizes are awarded.

Every ticket holder has had a 1-in-18 chance of winning or better. Prize winners have included everyone from retirees to firefighters, teachers to small business owners, and stay-at-home moms to insurance agents.

Like the hundreds who have already done so, we hope that you will take the time to e-mail us your story, questions and comments.

Enter For A Chance To Win A Best-of-the-Best Prize!

The 14th Health & Wealth Raffle begins in February, and it is sure to be the best ever. That's because many of the more than 4,700 prizes are literally the best of the best. For example, T.W. Lewis, the Raffle's featured builder, earned the National Housing Quality Gold Award in 2009. Our winning car line-up includes several award winners: the Audi A3 TDI (one of the greenest cars), Toyota Venza (best mid-sized luxury crossover), Toyota Prius (best hybrid), and Honda CRV (best small SUV). Our vacation to Greece includes a stay at the luxurious five-star Cavo Tagoo on the island of Mykonos. Watch for the launch of the Raffle, and see the other best-of-the-best prizes you could win.

Top prizes in the Spring 2010 Health & Wealth Raffle include:

A luxury T.W. Lewis home plus a Mercedes E350 Coupe
A beautiful home away from home, condo on the beach in Rocky Point plus a 2010 Honda CRV, Sea-Doo Jet Ski, and trailer
Ten 2010 cars, including the Cadillac SRX Crossover, BMW 328i convertible, Chevy Silverado, Audi A3 TDI, Chevy Camaro, and Toyota Venza
Ten luxury travel packages.

For more information about the Health & Wealth Raffle, visit www.HealthWealthRaffle.org.

Help Build New Aquatic Therapy Center

With your help, a new aquatic therapy center for Barrow will help patients with brain and spinal cord injuries. A state-of-the-art therapy pool is just what some rehabilitation patients need to complete what can be a long and difficult journey to recovery. Barrow Neurological Foundation is working to raise funds to build a new aquatic therapy center to help those who would benefit from this valuable rehabilitative therapy. The Foundation is more than half way to its fundraising goal and needs your help to complete the project.

Dr. Christina Kwasnica says because Barrow has one of the leading rehabilitation programs in the Southwest, it needs this valuable therapy resource. "Barrow Neurorehabilitation needs this pool to continue to help our patients with spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and other illnesses and injuries to make progress on the road to independence," she says.

Therapeutic exercises performed in water can be beneficial for a variety of individuals with musculoskeletal and neuromuscular disorders. Aquatic-based therapy augments traditional land-based therapy by offering an ideal setting to initiate treatment for patients who have weight-bearing restrictions, difficulty controlling the torso, which is needed for balance, or excessive pain that is exacerbated by the pressure of body weight.

While Barrow has a pool used for aquatic therapy, clinicians' attempts to fully utilize these treatments are hindered by some problems with the pool, including:

The location of the current pool on 7th Avenue is not close to any of the rehabilitation treatment areas. This means patients often must board a van and be transported to and from the pool - a task that can be difficult and that wastes critical rehabilitation time.
The design of the pool area is not conducive to sessions during the summer months because it is not enclosed, leaving patients exposed to the elements.
Another drawback to the existing pool is that it was not designed for therapeutic use and so it does not accommodate people with special needs as it should.

The new Ashlyn Dyer Aquatic Center for rehabilitation services at Barrow will be tailored to fit the needs of the patients using it. Some of the planned features for the center include an enclosed and climate-controlled facility for use year round; two lifts so more patients can get in and out of the pool at the same time; stairs customized to suit individuals with special needs; a different pool cleaning system that is safer for patients; and locker rooms to allow patients and families to change on site.

The center will be named the Ashlyn Dyer Aquatic Center after Ashlyn who was the victim of a hit-and-run accident while running through the Presidio in San Francisco in March 2006. After spending 10 days in the hospital on life support, Ashlyn passed away as a result of her severe traumatic brain injury. She was 27 years old. The Dyer family started the Ashlyn Dyer Foundation in California to help raise awareness about traumatic brain injury and have made a generous gift to Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix to build the Ashlyn Dyer Aquatic Center. Ashyln's mother, Marsha Dyer, says that Ashlyn was an avid swimmer and that if Ashlyn had lived, she likely would have been using the pool at Barrow Neurological Institute as part of her rehabilitation.

For information about how you can support this important initiative through a donation, including available naming opportunities, please call Barrow Neurological Foundation at 602-406-3041 or make a donation online.

The Champ Helps Celebrate Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center Opening

Thanks to the support of amazing donors and the Champ himself, Muhammad Ali, Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's celebrated the opening of a new Parkinson's center, where physicians and researchers will not only treat patients, but work toward finding a cure for the disease and other movement disorders.

The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and Movement Disorders Clinic (MAPC) moved into a new facility in December. The 9,100-square-foot space is located on the third floor of the Muhammad and Lonnie Ali Pavilion on the St. Joseph's campus. It houses one of the most comprehensive Parkinson's centers in the country.

With about 60,000 new cases diagnosed each year, there are currently one million Americans with Parkinson's disease. There is no cure. Ali, who is a three-time Heavy Weight Boxing Champion and one of the most famous athletes in history, was diagnosed with the brain disorder in 1984 and attended the grand opening event of the new center on December 3rd.

The clinical side of the center includes 10 exam rooms, a tremor exam room, a Botox treatment room, a tilt room to help evaluate patients with orthostatic hypertension, and a balance lab. The expanded MAPC features treatment areas for physical, occupational, and speech therapy; a multipurpose room for education and recreation classes; a resource room with books, videos, and computers; and a store featuring educational materials and equipment. The Center offers one-stop shopping for patients.

"The new space allows us to be a model for the rest of the country to demonstrate how integrated care can make a difference," says Margaret Anne Coles, MAPC program manager. The expansive, state-of-the-art facility is double the size of the original center and brings together medical, rehabilitation, social and educational services, and research in one location. It has been named a Center of Excellence by the National Parkinson's Foundation. Highly competitive and selective, the designation is held by only 27 other hospitals in the United States.

The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, including the new facility, is funded totally by donations. Its primary funding source is Celebrity Fight Night, an annual star-studded event that is attended by the Ali's. At the grand opening, the Arizona Community Foundation announced that a fund has been created to support the center. The endowment fund was established by a donation from the Ali's and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Additionally, an endowed fellowship, the Harold and Jean Grossman Israeli Fellowship Program, was announced. The fellowship gives an Israeli neurologist the opportunity to work at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and teach Barrow residents and fellows. Jean Grossman endowed the fellowship in honor of her late husband, Harold, who had Parkinson's disease and received care from Abraham Lieberman, MD, director of the MAPC.

Professional baseball players Justin and BJ Upton announced their donation of a fantasy baseball game in 2010 to Celebrity Fight Night XVI on March 20, 2010.

A Beacon Of Care

St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center has been awarded the 2009 Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. The Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph's was given the award in recognition of its extraordinary commitment to high quality critical care standards and dedication to the exceptional care of patients and families.

The Beacon Award specifically recognizes the nation's top pediatric, progressive and adult critical care units. Evaluation criteria includes recruitment and retention; education, training and mentoring; evidence-based practice and research; patient outcomes; healing environment and leadership and organizational ethics.

"The Beacon Award for excellence in Critical Care is something every member of our staff and our multidisciplinary team has worked hard for," says Stephanie Strickland, the clinical manager of the unit. "The award is recognition of the exceptional patient care we strive for and our continual quest to do better, try harder and make a real difference to our patients and their families as well as to the community we serve."

Of the 6,000 intensive care units nationwide, only 188 have been honored with the Beacon Award and only six have been given to Neuro Intensive Care Units.

Lung Transplant Program Now Accepting Medicare Patients

The Valley's only lung transplant program has received accreditation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), giving St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center the "green light" to treat Medicare patients in need of lung transplants. As a Medicare-approved lung transplantation center, St. Joseph's lung transplant volume could nearly double.

CMS conducted a three-day survey in September to confirm that St. Joseph's meets all the requirements, survival outcomes and program standards required. Before CMS could survey the hospital, St. Joseph's was required to perform 10 lung transplants within a year on non-Medicare patients. According to USTransplant.org, one-year survival rates for St. Joseph's lung transplant patients have been outstanding at 90 percent compared to the national survival rate of 84 percent.

"CMS-approved transplant centers provide the highest standards of treatment, care and health outcomes for their patients," says Ross Bremner, MD, PhD, chief of Thoracic Surgery at St. Joseph's Heart & Lung Institute. "The CMS certification now allows Valley Medicare patients in need of lung transplants to undergo their surgery and follow-up care in their home city rather than traveling outside of the Valley for treatment."

Lung transplants are among the most complicated procedures and patients require a lifetime of care. This certification will allow Valley Medicare patients to receive their lung transplant in addition to their pre-operative and post-operative care in Phoenix, relieving them of frequent travel expenses and hardships of being away from home.

St. Joseph's lung transplant program began in 2007 after the hospital recruited one of the nation's top lung transplant teams. Since then, the team has performed more than 30 lung transplants at St. Joseph's. Before St. Joseph's began offering lung transplants, approximately 75 percent of Valley residents went out of state for their transplantation. In addition to local patients, St. Joseph's has seen lung transplant patients from Denver, St. Louis, New York, New Mexico and Nevada. St. Joseph's Foundation provided start-up funding for the center.