Patient stories
Recent Posts
Back on the saddle
After recovering from a mastectomy, Lisa Alexander sought out UF Health Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics Center problem-solver, Bruce Mast, MD, FACS, to get back on the saddle.
Chris’ Story: Toe-to-Thumb Transfer
After Chris lost his thumb and index finger, Harvey Chim, M.D., and the team at UF Health performed a life-changing operation that would enhance his quality of life…
Kashton’s Story
When a fall left Kashton with severe burns, UF Health pediatric surgeons provided the specialized care he needed to get back on his feet…
Bonnie’s Breast Cancer Journey
Bonnie Green’s journey through breast cancer was mitigated by the support and expertise she received from UF Health plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Mark Leyngold and UF Health breast cancer […]
Nikia’s Second Chance
Read the incredible story of the heroic efforts by numerous University of Florida Health teams who saved Nikia, a girl with injuries so severe, the medical experts said, “She shouldn’t […]
Plastic surgeon saves little girl’s leg
In the past, severe leg injuries would lead to amputations. However, with new surgical techniques, our board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Harvey Chim, is able to change lives. Learn […]
ECMO restores Florida man to health after severe flu diagnosis
For most of his career as a lineman with Duke Energy, David Goff has climbed tall utility poles to inspect and repair high-voltage wires. It is a tough job that […]
Trauma and Tattoos: Tampa Bay-area man survives devastating motorcycle wreck
Kevin Moore’s colorful tattoos serve as a reminder of his motorcycle accident and the care team at University of Florida Health who saved his life.
3D modeling helps plastic surgeons, neurosurgeons complete cranial reconstruction
Flanked by a surgery resident and a technician, surgeon Jessica Ching, M.D., holds a 3D model of a patient’s skull. She carefully turns the model over in her hands, considering […]
Extending a life with a lung transplant
An uncontrollable cough led Tampa Bay-area resident Mike Preston to seek medical attention. Preston visited his primary care physician and specialists to find out the cause. Within five months, Preston […]
Liver transplant restores Florida woman to health
First, Maria Rivera noticed the fatigue. Next, she noticed the swelling in her stomach and the weight gain.
First patient receives kidney through Sacred Heart Health System and UF Health collaboration
On Feb. 2, Renwick Avant, 47, of Pensacola, received a new kidney at the hands of UF Health’s Rick Stevens, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, and Sacred Heart vascular surgeon Christopher LeCroy, […]
Burn survivor resumes life as an active teenager
Tyrone Crawford Jr. loves sports. Coming from an athletic family, the Tallahassee teenager played his first football game at age 6. It was a passion that would continue through his […]
Man survives ruptured aorta, thanks to UF Health
It was a normal Sunday afternoon for Ralph and Joan Glaeser. In January 2016, the Gainesville couple were returning from church and a trip to the grocery store when Ralph, […]
Sometimes you need a team of people to cheer you to victory
Two years ago, Barbara Adams, 46, discovered how important the support of the right team could be. She was volunteering at the local YMCA, playing kickball with the children, and […]
Beating the odds: Ronny’s story
In March, Ronald “Ronny” Pruitt, the head football coach for Union County High School in Lake Butler, and his wife, Robin, packed their bags for a spring break trip to […]
XVIVO Lung Perfusion System increases transplant options
Robin Thomas lived one struggling breath at a time. Diagnosed with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, her only option for survival was a lung transplant. However, the odds of finding […]
UF Health surgeons save motorcycle crash victim
The sound of the ShandsCair helicopter is something Kevin Moore will never forget.
Breathing easier after lung transplant
Tiago Machuca, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine, recently performed UF Health’s first lung transplants using organs treated on the XVIVO […]
Mom’s plea for son’s kidney transplant goes viral and raises awareness about process
Kenneth Andreoni, MD, surgical director for kidney and pancreas transplants at UF Health, performed a kidney transplant on Johnathan Rye just one week after his mom posted a photo on […]
Bariatric Care Team Hosts One-Mile Walk with Patients
Recently, the bariatric care team at UF Health hosted a one-mile walk with weight loss surgery patients. Kfir Ben-David, M.D., UF Health’s director of bariatric surgery and an associate professor, […]
UF Health breaks ground for new Heart & Vascular Hospital, Neuromedicine Hospital
University of Florida Health broke ground today for the UF Health Heart & Vascular Hospital and the UF Health Neuromedicine Hospital, a $415 million project that will give rise to […]
UF Surgeons in the News – TV 20: Surgical Treatment Improving for Pancreatic Cancer Patients
Pancreatic cancer has long been viewed as a death sentence – and with good reason – it’s currently the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the US, but it’s […]
Better options for mastectomy and breast reconstruction
The news hit Tracy Cantella like a load of bricks: She had BRCA 1, the gene infamous for greatly increasing a woman’s risks of breast and ovarian cancer. She had […]
UF Health marks 100th transcatheter aortic valve replacement as program growth continues
For Rosalie Youngerman, the chance to get a new aortic valve without open-heart surgery was literally a lifesaver. In July, Youngerman became the 100th person at the University of Florida […]
Defying the odds, motorcycle accident survivor returns to the life he loves
Michael Gracy’s life nearly ended one Friday afternoon in November 2010. Then 68, Gracy had just left work at his Gainesville office of the financial services company for which he […]
Ready for anything
The Level I trauma centers at Shands at UF and Shands Jacksonville are always prepared to treat the most severe injuries, thanks to multidisciplinary teams of employees that keep the […]
Baby who received UF&Shands’ first pediatric liver transplant since program reactivation now thriving
Now that Chelsey Hoyle is rid of her scarred, dysfunctional liver, the 1-year-old can really get down to the business of being a baby. Chelsey received part of an adult liver during a transplant operation in early November, less than a month before her first birthday. The operation was UF&Shands’ first pediatric liver transplant since the program’s seven-month hiatus and its reactivation in April 2012. The program is one of only two in Florida.
Transplant without borders
For many transplant patients, the call for a lifesaving organ usually comes in the middle of the night. For ReAnne Walcott, it came while she was on vacation outside the […]
Helping hands at UF&Shands save youngster’s right hand
Winston T. Richards, M.D., an acute care surgeon at UF&Shands, the University of Florida Academic Health Center, treated 4-year-old Benjamin Bileca after a horrific accident stripped the skin from the […]
Family travels from Russia to UF for baby’s lifesaving surgery
David Kays, M.D., a pediatric surgeon at UF&Shands, the University of Florida Academic Health Center, treated Russian mom Elena Akmanova’s newborn, Eva, after the baby was diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic […]
Another chance for Olivia
Watching a Barney DVD in her bed, Olivia Salinas looks like a typical preschooler, except for the tracheostomy tube in her neck. But the 3-year-old girl from Tampa made history […]
Surgeon’s personal attention helps family fight cancer
Heather Smith was just 25 years old in 2005 when she learned she had breast cancer. She received the diagnosis on her daughter’s second birthday. “It was kind of a […]
Keeping up with the grandkids
When Dan Fulford needed heart surgery in August 2010 to stop his atrial fibrillation, he didn’t mind that he would be only the third person to undergo a hybrid Mini-Maze […]
A second birthday
When Peggy Prevost learned in 2005 that she had a heart condition known as atrial fibrillation, she wasn’t about to let the diagnosis slow her down. A frequent swimmer and […]
Breathing Free Again
It was a week of firsts for 8-year-old Brian Stanzione — first plane ride, first stay in a hotel and first visit to Florida. But Brian was not flying from […]
A risky journey and a happy ending
Mandie and Robert Cokley and their son Patrick piled into their Lincoln Navigator on April 15 and began the 2,400-mile drive from their home in Bakersfield, Calif. to Gainesville. The […]
Growing up
Underneath Jim Beau Reinhardt’s left lung, a synthetic patch stitched into place is helping him breathe. Jim Beau, who will turn 2 in November, was diagnosed with a congenital diaphragmatic […]
Heart failure: Ventricular assist devices as destination therapy
Find answers to frequently asked questions about ventricular assist devices.
Just What the Patient Ordered
Unveiled in November 2010, the Intrabeam is the newest cancer-fighting weapon in the UF Shands Cancer Center’s arsenal. Intrabeam allows doctors to deliver precise doses of radiation in the O.R. […]
Orlando man gets fresh start as Shands celebrates 500th lung transplant milestone
Shands at the University of Florida recently celebrated a new milestone and gave a patient a fresh lease on life in time for the new year. Orlando resident Bhowani Sharma […]
Two aneurysm repairs help man remain active
When Frank Andrews learned he had a massive aneurysm in his lower abdomen in 2003, he called his son, a physician living in California and a graduate of University of […]
A double success
Ralph Johnson likes to take nature walks in his hometown of Hernando, Florida. But for a long time, medical problems made it difficult for him to enjoy his usual stroll. […]
Climbing mountains
Terry Clark has suffered from painful and unsightly varicose veins in her legs for years. She called the veins “my mess.” The source of much “discomfort and pain,” varicose veins […]