In November 2006, when I was eight months pregnant, my water broke while having dinner at home. Initially, I and my husband, Brad, weren’t concerned. We didn’t know that in a little more than 24 hours, I would be giving birth prematurely and that our little girl Julia would be in a fight for her life. When we arrived the doctor and nurses worked to keep the labor from progressing. Despite their efforts, an emergency C-section became necessary the next day. She was quiet, finally, I heard what sounded like a cat’s meow. It was Julia. She was breathing. I was able to briefly say hello to little Julia before she was whisked away to the NICU. At 3 pounds, 7 ounces, Julia would need to stay in the hospital for almost seven weeks of round-the-clock care.
It really hits you when you’ve had a baby and you have to leave the hospital without her. My husband and I came back every day to be with Julia. Finally when Julia weighed 5 pounds and was deemed healthy, she was ready to come home. Today her weight and height are in the normal range for her age and she’s running around and talking a lot. Her favorite things are dogs and bubbles.

If I hadn’t gone to Swedish, I don’t know if I would have my twins right now. The nurses and doctors are so incredible at Swedish. To take our twins home, happy and healthy… well there are no words to describe what that felt like.

Your staff is professional, positive helpful and mostly importantly –real. When we were anxious while waiting in the Ante Partum unit, the nurses would share humorous and uplifting stories from their own lives. Their optimism buoyed us up and we were able to enjoy the sweet anticipation of having babies. Entering the NICU unit was intimidating at first until your skilled group of nurses and support staff answered all of our questions and listened to our fears. We built friendships with the nurses and vowed to come back when having more children.
Thanks for a job well done.

Everyone from the triage nurses to the a la carte staff were fantastic, but three people made our stay exceptional. Jen , our labor and delivery nurse, was amazing. She was incredibly attentive, yet was great at giving us our privacy, very detail oriented and obviously great at her job. We had a natural childbirth and she was a huge help in getting us through the hard parts. Toni, the NAC, made the move to postpartum almost fun. She was so sweet and made us so comfortable. She made us feel like we had the best baby there. Amy, the night RN on the postpartum unit was also incredibly caring and attentive and made us feel like we were her first priority, even though we know she had other patients.

Our doctor, Jessica Wesch from Swedish Magnolia, also made our birth experience absolutely exceptional. She's given us great care the whole time and she made natural childbirth as easy as it could be.

We have an amazing, healthy baby girl and wonderful memories of her birth. The care we received from Swedish was first rate and we will always remember our fabulous experience there.

In October of 2006 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Surgery at my local, suburban Seattle hospital was an option, but it would have been "open surgery" which is highly invasive, and requires a painful period of recuperation lasting many months. The other option was Swedish Medical Center, with its da Vinci Surgery System, or robot-assisted surgery. As the kids say today: it was a no-brainer. The surgery at Swedish went like clockwork. I was out of the hospital in 24 hours, and off pain medication in two days. Incredibly, 3 months after my initial cancerous diagnosis I was back to work – a cured man.

Thank you Swedish Medical Center

September 2005 brought the celebration of our beautiful daughter’s 21st birthday and her diagnosis of a brain tumor. What a conflict of emotions we felt. Lara was just beginning her senior year at the University of Portland where she was majoring in Physics and Math and minoring in Spanish. It quickly became apparent that she needed to take a leave from her academic pursuits, and come home to begin treatment.
We, as a family, sought interviews and medical opinions from a variety of institutions. We unanimously agreed that Dr Henry Kaplan, Medical Oncologist at Swedish Medical Center, could fill the role of team leader for us as we sought the best treatment possible for Lara. Dr Kaplan’s support to all of us was unwavering, and compassionate, while providing difficult factual information we needed to consider and providing the best medical care possible.
Dr Kaplan introduced us to Dr Sandra Vermeulen, Radiation Oncologist, who managed Lara’s radiation treatment November-December 2005. Dr Vermeulen not only provided personalized, effective radiation treatment, but was an empathetic and compassionate member of Lara’s team. We will never forget how Dr Vermeulen and Dr Kaplan spoke to Lara with deep respect and acknowledged Lara’s background and interest in physics. Lara had worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in Boulder, CO the summer of her junior year on an oncology related research project.
Lara was able to return to the University of Portland in January of 2006 and graduated with her class in May. Dr Kaplan and Dr Vermeulen monitored Lara carefully even though she moved to Boulder, CO to pursue her interest in research. Lara married her college sweetheart in June of 2007. September 2007, 2 years after diagnosis, her brain tumor began to grow.
Again with great empathy and compassion and expertise, Dr Kaplan directed Lara’s care. In February 2008, Lara and her husband moved back to our home so she could pursue treatment at Swedish. In May, we met Dr Greg Foltz, Neurosurgeon at the Swedish Neuroscience Center. Dr Foltz, an expert in his field, became a very important team member as Lara developed hydrocephalus requiring surgical intervention and careful monitoring. Dr Foltz, an enthusiastic supporter of Lara, took time to personally show her around the research lab at the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment. This meant a great deal to her.
Unfortunately, the chemotherapy drugs available, during the summer of 2008, were not effective, and Lara’s tumor continued to grow. She died September 12, 2008, 3 years after her diagnosis. Our lives will never be the same, but we find great comfort in knowing that we were able to surround Lara with medical expertise that was provided in the most respectful and compassionate manner possible. In addition to Drs Kaplan, Vermeulen, and Foltz, there were countless doctors, physician assistants, nurses, technicians, and aides on 3 different campuses who assisted in Lara’s care. We remember each one of you and we thank you.
Tom and Nan Street

Just 5 short months after my father was killed in a car accident and two weeks before retiring, my mom was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma – brain tumor.

After the initial diagnosis, everything happened so quickly. The surgeon came to see my sister and me and said he believed it was a Glioblastoma and that it was the worst type of cancer someone could get. He also said he’d like to operate that day but his schedule was booked with other operations. So he decided he wanted to remove the tumor first thing the following morning. We didn’t know anything about the surgeon or what questions to even ask. We felt very alone, confused and devastated by the horrible news. I got on my computer and sent out emails to everyone I knew looking for surgeon recommendations. I researched as much as I could in the short bit of time I had before the surgeon wanted to operate which was now less than 18 hours away I had two people recommend Swedish’s Neuroscience Institute. That was enough for me. I called and with desperation in my voice begged to get my mom seen immediately. It was late in the afternoon on a Thursday when I spoke with Megan. She was caring, concerned, calm and, most importantly, – accommodating. I described what my mom had and she said – "Oh, you want Dr. Foltz – he’s the best." He specializes in Glioblastomas and only operates on the brain. We kept in contact for the next few hours calling and updating each other. Dr. Foltz was in surgery all that day. But by the end of that day, we had an appointment to see him in Seattle the following day. After driving down from Bellingham the next day, I drove up to the loading zone and Megan and another team member were there waiting with a wheelchair. We hugged like we had known each other for years. –We felt like we had met our first angel that day.

It took my sister, my mom and myself 2 minutes to know that it would be Dr. Foltz who would operate on her. He had done some 400-brain surgeries and he was passionate about what he did. He made us feel hopeful and safe. His soothing voice calmed us. He answered all the questions we had and then some that we didn’t even think of. He told us about his study and how he found his way back to the Seattle area. He mentioned how my mom’s tumor could be studied and could be essential in finding a cure for brain cancer. Coming from an educational background, she especially liked that idea. He wasn’t panicked. He didn’t want to rush into surgery but he did want to admit my mom and get her going on medicines that would reduce the swelling in her brain before he operated. We had met our second angel that day.

Four days later, my mom was recovering from her surgery – with a full head of hair. It was a successful surgery and Dr. Foltz gave us hope. He said we’d fight this together. He said that we hope to not see any new tumors for at least a year – but that we’d like her to go 3 years before a recurrence. And when a new tumor came back – we'd go in and get it again. He gave us his cell phone number and said to call him anytime if we had questions or concerns.

I often wonder if my dad was watching over us and guided us to find Dr. Foltz. He and his entire team have become our extended family. The level of care they give is like no other. Words cannot express the gratitude that we have toward Dr. Foltz and his team. We just don’t know what we would do without them!

My mom continues to fight her fight with Dr. Foltz, his team and her two daughters by her side.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Dr. Foltz!