06/22/2023
It was kinda hard to come up with something for my surgeon because what kind of cookies say “thanks for saving my life…” twice. I get to see my surgeon today for a final post op and there’s just no words to say how thankful I am.
I’ve been lucky enough to have the same surgeon during my cancer journey, the first was the total thyroidectomy in 2019 and the most recent modified radical neck dissection in 2023. Both surgeries were done by Dr. Mark Horattas at Cleveland Clinic Akron General. He’s an amazing surgeon, extremely professional and knowledgeable, and incredibly kind. He also has an phenomenal team behind him as well.
It was a hard time going through surgeries but having an amazing surgical team and staff at Cleveland Clinic Akron General made that so much easier. The second surgery was more complex than the first but shockingly I was less nervous the second time around thanks to the astounding experience I had the first time!
The huddle before surgery just made my nerves go away, where I got to meet everyone and talk about their roles. Twice I’ve been rolled into the operating room and twice I’ve been laughing in the OR with the surgical team before being put to sleep. They really know what they are doing in there lol they try to make you as comfortable as they can, and I truly appreciated that.
Both times he asked “what could we have done better?” And I’m always taken back by that question because I don’t know how to tell him that everything was perfect already.
I obviously don’t plan on having a third surgery but if I had to do a third I know exactly where I would be going.
Massive big thank you to Dr. Horattas and his team at CCAG! ❤️