Kaweah Delta Patient Success Stories VIDEO: Watch the heart-warming stories shared by patients of Kaweah Delta and their life-saving experience. Click HERE. Search by Category: Select Spine Injury Stroke Emergency & Trauma Heart & Vascular Orthopedics Neurosurgery General Care Team Stories General Surgery COVID-19 Physical Therapy Cancer Care Shawn Myers SHAWN MYERS Good deeds do get rewarded. Visalia resident Shawn Myers can attest to that. As a goodwill gesture, Shawn prepared a meal of barbecue ... Read More Georg Earley GEORG* EARLEY NEVER THOUGHT GETTING OFF A BACKHOE TO MOVE A “LITTLE ROCK” IN JANUARY 2017, WOULD CHANGE HIS LIFE. But for the next year ... Read More Cancer Care Bruce Livingston Cancer Care At Kaweah Delta, patients like Bruce Livingston can find cancer-fighting services provided by caring and supportive medical staff close to home. ... Read More Victoria Capello Cancer Care Victoria Capello knows firsthand how attitude can influence her health. Routinely, you will find her listening to country music to lift her spirit. ... Read More Kay Vandever Cancer Care “Cancer makes you more empathetic, kinder. I recommend to extend that kindness to your nurse, who is doing everything [he/she] can to help you. ... Read More Cassandra Baker Cancer Care “Initially I was going to hide and not tell anyone, not even my 25-year-old daughter. Dr. [Russell] Dounies convinced me to do otherwise and it ... Read More Eric Anderson Cancer Care Eric Anderson smiles in the face of cancer. Some might call him crazy, but not those who know the 54-year-old former military veteran turned music ... Read More Felicia Mendoza Cancer Care Felicia’s journey started in June 2014 when after eight years in San Diego, she moved back to Visalia. In San Diego, she had been diagnosed with ... Read More Stacey Pownell Cancer Care Stacey’s journey started in 2017 after her move to Visalia, when she went to see Dr. William Holvik, who agreed that the dimple on her breast, ... Read More Susan Geis Cancer Care Susan Geis was a hot and sweaty mess. She had just spent hours pulling weeds in her new Visalia home on a warm October afternoon when she came inside ... Read More Shelia Nelson Cancer Care Story: Sheila Nelson was living the good life. She and her husband, Steve, were retired, traveling and enjoying time with their children and ... Read More Josie Mejia Cancer Care Josie Mejia spent most of her life working in the Department of Motor Vehicles in Tulare. She knew her job and she liked helping people, but she never ... Read More Shelly Cox Cancer Care The news wasn't completely unexpected, but still untimely, coming just a day after Shelly Cox celebrated her 44th birthday. Shelly had been ... Read More Sally Rogers Cancer Care Sally suddenly sat straight up in bed. She was lying down when her hand brushed against her chest and alerted her to a strange lump she’d never ... Read More COVID-19 Warren Gaines COVID-19 As the world shuttered in mid-March in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus, numbers of COVID-positive patients stayed low in March, Noeske ... Read More Eleanor Cardoza COVID-19 Though their ages, backgrounds, and health histories differ, several Tulare County residents have one commonality: they contracted and conquered the ... Read More Emergency & Trauma Steve Armagost Emergency & Trauma Fathers dream of walking their daughters down the aisle. Seven weeks before living that dream, Steve Armagost heard the crack. Steve was in an attic, ... Read More Chris Morton Emergency & Trauma “I love you. I can’t breathe and I’m going to die.” Those were Chris Morton’s words on Sept. 6, 2016, to his wife Maddy, ... Read More Camella Herrera Emergency & Trauma It was 4:30 AM and Camella’s husband, Raul, knew something was wrong. Every day like clockwork, Camella would message him between 3:50 – ... Read More General Care Kristen Santos General Care It was May 3, 2016. Something wasn’t right. Kristen Santos knew it. She was dizzy and running a fever. It felt like the flu, but worse. Not well ... Read More Christina Tank General Care A pain-free existence has been a longtime coming for Christina Tank. Shortly after the emergency cesarean section delivery of her first child, Kellie, ... Read More Asher John Talamantez General Care The smallest patients in Visalia now have a new space made just for them at Kaweah Delta Medical Center – a state-of-the-art, 15,000 square-foot ... Read More FeMarie Evangelista General Care FeMarie Evangelista was never a patient of Kaweah Delta’s Chronic Disease Management Center, a place where people with chronic conditions like ... Read More Xayleigh Gonzalez General Care The smallest patients in Visalia now have a new space made just for them at Kaweah Delta Medical Center – a state-of-the-art, 15,000 square-foot ... Read More Ira Porchia General Care Missing work and family commitments was something Ira Porchia just didn't do. The long-time educator and busy father took pride in his attendance ... Read More Ramon Mata Gutierrez General Care Kaweah Delta partners to care for the community at The Samaritan Center What began as a Band-Aid clinic for colds is saving lives through medications, ... Read More Kristi Mefford General Care As my trainer pointed out early in our training, every person has a reason for walking into a gym. I would like to share the reasons that motivated me ... Read More Rose Marie Boen General Care When Rose Marie Boen needed a surgeon to remove gallstones, she turned to social media. After posting about her medical issue on Facebook, a consensus ... Read More General Surgery Cindy Howell-Oviedo General Surgery “I’m going to die,” Cindy thought. The pain in her abdomen had grown so severe she could hardly bear to sit, stand, or move around. ... Read More Heart & Vascular Robert Castellano Heart & Vascular Robert knows a thing or two about a good beat. A lifelong drummer, he understands that any good song needs a steady beat, and the same can be said for ... Read More Myrtle Cotter Heart & Vascular Myrtle Cotter would have rather been playing Yahtzee, Bunco, or Bingo, over the summer, but she was at Kaweah Delta Medical Center – far from ... Read More Jerry Little Heart & Vascular Other than needing a hernia repaired, Jerry Little was feeling just fine. Ready to fix his only known health issue, he made an appointment with a ... Read More Bob Patel Heart & Vascular Open heart surgery and cardiac rehabilitation put Visalia man on road to recovery. Something was wrong with Bob. He was “feeling funny” ... Read More Robert Castellano Heart & Vascular Robert knows a thing or two about a good beat. A drummer for most of his life, he understands that a steady beat is the foundation to any good song, ... Read More Annette McMasters Heart & Vascular Kaweah Delta Medical Center’s surgical team, in collaboration with vascular surgeon Dr. Omar Araim, is keeping Annette McMasters, 77, of ... Read More Lee Guild Heart & Vascular Dr. Erik Miguel should have been home. Actually, the emergency medicine doctor could have been working anywhere but Visalia after completing Kaweah ... Read More Eddie Sauceda Heart & Vascular Something was terribly wrong with Eddie. In the darkness of a rainy December night, the pain radiated through his body with the fury of a lightning ... Read More Elmer Wolden Heart & Vascular Caring for your heart is always important—even if you feel “healthy as a horse.” Elmer Wolden, cardiac patient at Kaweah Delta, ... Read More Connie Pinedo Heart & Vascular Open Heart Surgery "Life is a collection of moments that fill the heart." Kaweah Delta's comprehensive cardiac services are close to ... Read More Joseph Vargas Heart & Vascular Joseph Vargas is a Central Valley native with an extraordinary health care story. Born in Tulare in 1940, Vargas has spent his whole life here, and he ... Read More Ben Garcia Heart & Vascular The team that brought my heart back to life. Oct. 31, 2016, started off as a normal day for Ben Garcia, but by day’s end, the 45-year-old ... Read More Michael Ramirez Heart & Vascular Triple - Bypass Open Heart Surgery Like most men, Michael Ramirez is not one to cry. But on that day last September when the doctor delivered the ... Read More David Mitre Heart & Vascular Aortic Valve Repair It's hard for 30-year-old David Mitre to believe it really happened. Less than a year ago, he struggled with shortness of ... Read More Barbara Wong Heart & Vascular Coronary Artery Bypass Barbara Wong is pinching herself these days. Last summer, the retired school teacher's plans suddenly changed from a trip ... Read More Judith Kistler Heart & Vascular Cut, Color & A Stroke of Luck Strangely, on the day of her standing 4-week hair appointment, Judith Kistler’s arm was numb. “It felt ... Read More Coy Weldon Heart & Vascular Coy Weldon has twice witnessed a fellow senior softball player die at the field after suffering a heart attack during a game. The 79-year-old Orange ... Read More Noel Baker Heart & Vascular Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery The news from Noel Baker’s doctor wasn’t good, it was shocking. The 70-year-old Lindsay man was more ... Read More Maria Falcon Heart & Vascular Minimally Invasive Valve Replacement Maria Falcon of Tipton knew she had a problem with a heart murmur, but was unaware of the life-threatening nature ... Read More Marvin Phillips Heart & Vascular Heart attack survivor Marv Phillips put his race to recovery in the hands of skilled, board-certified cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and ... Read More Tom Schneider Heart & Vascular Tom Schneider played senior softball on some of the nation's best teams over the past 23 years before health issues derailed his 2017 season. But ... Read More Penny MacDonald Heart & Vascular Cardiac Stent Penny MacDonald of Visalia is full of life and would never shy from starting conversations with strangers. However, an unforeseeable ... Read More Roy Dressel Heart & Vascular Roy Dressel takes pride in being in good shape and of quick wit. The jovial Visalia photographer has been a regular at his gym for 17 years. But in ... Read More Stephen Welch Heart & Vascular Breaking down barriers through surgery By weekday, Stephen Welch is a courier; by weekend, he’s head usher at First Presbyterian Church where he ... Read More Neurosurgery Amanda Brillhart Neurosurgery Never mind that she had lived in Visalia for 21 years, been a star soccer player at El Diamante High School, a graduate of the College of the ... Read More Georg Earley Neurosurgery WATCH FULL LENGTH VIDEO Georg* Earley Never Thought Getting Off a Backhoe to Move a “Little Rock” In January 2017, Would Change His Life. ... Read More Samuel Franco Neurosurgery Kaweah Delta’s emergency trauma services unexpectedly meet weekend warriors, like Samuel Franco, when the risks of adventure are greater than ... Read More Remigio Florez Neurosurgery “I have 100 percent confidence in Kaweah Delta’s neurosurgery program. I believe, given the circumstance, I had the best possible ... Read More Gurprinder Brar Neurosurgery Stress is a normal part of the moving process. From packing boxes and recruiting helpers to organizing cupboards and meeting new neighbors, moving to ... Read More Orthopedics Victoria Ojeda Orthopedics Victoria doesn’t remember the accident. She doesn’t remember the diesel truck driving directly in front of her or falling asleep at the ... Read More Victoria Ojeda Orthopedics Victoria doesn’t remember the accident. She doesn’t remember the diesel truck driving directly in front of her or falling asleep at the ... Read More Glenda A. Orthopedics Glenda Armstrong isn't the kind of teacher who sits behind a desk all day. The long-time educator prefers to stand up, walk around and interact ... Read More Bob Chavez Orthopedics It would be an understatement to say Bob Chavez loves Disneyland. Before moving to Visalia in 2000, the 62-year-old social worker spent nearly every ... Read More Jesús Gamboa Orthopedics After 45 years of running and the injuries that go with anyone’s sport of choice, Jesús Gamboa, 64, was no stranger to pain. He had ... Read More Marcos Reyna Orthopedics The only thing Marcos Reyna values more than his family is his work. So when a head-on collision threatened to take him away from both, the skilled ... Read More Charles Cooper Orthopedics Knee Replacement Surgery Charles Cooper, of Exeter, needed a knee replacement. But when he chose Kaweah Delta, his local hospital, he didn’t ... Read More Steve "Doc" Blizzard Orthopedics Knee Replacement Surgery When you are responsible for directing overall farming operations for Lagomarsino Group, a major agricultural services ... Read More Gary Rosenberger Orthopedics Partial Knee Replacement Gary Rosenberg’s mind was made up. Yeah, he was 62, but age and a balky knee wouldn’t slow down this ... Read More Mary Akin Orthopedics Shoulder and Knee Replacement When Mary Akin’s knee, then shoulder began keeping her from her favorite activities, she looked to Dr. Bruce Le to ... Read More Austin Albison Orthopedics Knee Surgery Austin Albison's injury didn't sideline him during his senior year of high school football, but it did leave him with a nagging ... Read More Dennis Durbin Orthopedics After 36 years of teaching at Porterville High School, Dennis Durbin was looking forward to enjoying retirement with family and enjoying his favorite ... Read More Megan Taylor Orthopedics Shoulder Surgery Megan Taylor, of Hanford, has a reason to cheer again thanks to a successful double shoulder surgery performed by Dr. Bruce Le at ... Read More Physical Therapy Susan Giampietro Physical Therapy Suffering an injury causes physical and emotional damage. Our team of physical therapy experts at Therapy Specialists understand that overcoming the ... Read More Dominic Fagundes Physical Therapy Motocross racing was always a huge part of Dominic Fagundes’ life, who lives in Tulare. From a very young age, the feeling of adrenaline and the ... Read More Spine Injury Doug Henderson Spine Injury When Doug Henderson, 68, of Exeter, accidentally stepped off of a roof on April 9, 2012, he had no idea that he would step into an entirely new life ... Read More Stroke Carolyn Hill Stroke Carolyn had just sat down for Sunday brunch with her husband, Ron, when it turned into a meal they’ll never forget. When Carolyn tried ordering, ... Read More Agnes Dias Stroke Strokes can happen anytime, anywhere In fact every 40 seconds in the U.S. That’s why it’s important to know the symptoms – facial ... Read More Felix Quintero Stroke Feb. 13, 2018, is a day that Felix Quintero will not soon forget. It was the day he had a stroke at age 36. “I was scared, confused and ... Read More Team Stories Street Medicine Team Stories Grabbing stocked backpacks full of supplies and medications, a small team of people followed a dirt trail down the embankment of St. John's River. ... Read More Future Health Care Team Stories The Future of Health Care Have you seen a nurse practitioner (NP) recently for your healthcare needs? If not, there is a good chance you will in the ... Read More Patient Safety Team Stories The Kaweah Delta Patient Safety Hero Award recognizes the outstanding efforts of hospital staff who identify opportunities to continuously improve the ... Read More Blessing Bags Team Stories Blessing come in all shapes and sizes A simple cloth bag is not necessarily a blessing. But fill it with a snack, water, toiletries and something to ... Read More Giving Today Team Stories The reasons that drive people to give to a charitable cause are as unique as the individual donors themselves. Some people feel passionate about an ... Read More FeMarie Evangelista Team Stories KAWEAH DELTA’S CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT CENTER IS FOCUSED ON MORE THAN KEEPING PATIENTS HEALTHY AND OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. FeMarie Evangelista ... Read More More Room More Love Team Stories Just like the tiny babies who thrive there, Kaweah Delta’s new NICU is growing and is ready to make its grand debut. Big changes are in store ... Read More
VIDEO: Watch the heart-warming stories shared by patients of Kaweah Delta and
their life-saving experience. Click
HERE.