Patient Testimonials
Read Michael Sanfacon's story
My story starts at 37 years old, when I was originally diagnosed with kidney cancer. I'd been married for 15 years, had kids ages 13 and 10, and was hard at work establishing a career. The last thing I ever expected was a cancer diagnosis that was made more shocking by the fact that my grandmother had kidney cancer in the early 1970s....
Click here to read more
Patient Letters
Dear Dr. Tabb,
While doing a scan on my small intestines this past summer, it was discovered that I had a mass in my left kidney that needed to be looked at further. Upon doing another scan, focusing on my kidney, it was determined that I had a 2 cm tumor. A local doctor suggested that we should wait and do another scan in January to see if it had grown. My daughter, who is a nurse at Children's Hospital, went online to find a place to go for a second opinion. She discovered that right across the street at BIDMC is a program focusing on kidney tumors. I scheduled a meeting with Dr. Wagner and group for late October.
At that meeting I was presented with options for my treatment. Even though waiting was an option, Dr. Wagner felt that the quickest and easiest solution was to remove the tumor as soon as possible. I agreed with him and we scheduled the surgery for early January 2012. My pre-op visit was scheduled for 2 weeks before the surgery date. An MRI was done and the tumor had grown 0.4 cm, so it was good that we were planning to remove it. The surgery went as scheduled and everything went extremely well, including the results that the tumor was benign.
I must say that my experience with Dr. Wagner and the entire group was outstanding. Everyone made me feel comfortable and gave me the feeling that they really cared about me. I had excellent and friendly care during my hospital stay. I really appreciate the follow-up calls from everyone, including two from Dr. Wagner. The second one of these was him telling me the tumor was benign.
You should be very proud of the group that handles this program. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to others.
Patient,February 2012
Dear Dr. Wagner,
When someone is diagnosed with cancer, the words feel like a knife cutting through you. No one is ever prepared to hear those words and a million thoughts - none good - go through your brain and won't stop. Confusion, nervousness and fear just seem to overtake you and your day to day normal activities just aren't the same. However, the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center helps ease all of those scary thoughts and helps prepare a patient for the best medical care offered.
I can't say enough about the wonderful treatment I received from Dr. Andrew Wagner. He and his dedicated staff were there with me from the very beginning and continued to follow up with me after my treatments ended. If I had any questions at any time, Dr. Wagner was always available to answer them. He and his staff eased my fears and made me feel like I was in the best hands possible - and I was.
Thank you to Dr. Wagner and all of the wonderful caregivers at Beth Israel for making my cancer treatment the best anyone could have ever wanted!
Patient, February 2011
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Dear Dr. Wagner and Jodi:
Words cannot adequately express the profound appreciation I feel towards you both. While I know there were many others closely involved in my care and treatment, the two of you lead me through this incredibly emotional and frightening experience. From Dr. Wagner's expert knowledge and exceptional surgical care, to Jodi's amazing pre and post-operative assistance leaves no doubt in my mind that I chose the absolute best team in the business!
With all the gratitued in my heart, thank you SO very much for all you have done.
Warm Regards,
Grateful patient, June 2010
To Kidney Cancer Patients:
I was stunned to learn that I had a potentially cancerous tumor on my kidney - it's news that you're never prepared to hear. Dr. Andrew Wagner delivered the initial diagnosis, and explained the risks and advantages of having surgery or waiting. More importantly, though, he brought an unbelievable sense of calm and reassurance to what was a surreal and difficult moment.
I was very impressed by his suggestion that I seek out additional opinions and make up my own mind regarding conventional vs. laparoscopic options, even though he specializes in the latter. For me, the choice of a less-invasive laparoscopy became clear, and the benefits were immediate.
Dr. Wagner and his staff not only helped me make the right decision about my health, but they also helped me through the process in ways you don't always expect from a large, sophisticated institution like Beth Israel Deaconess: His call on the eve of my operation to reassure me and answer any last questions; the daily follow-ups to help me through early recovery; the 24/7 phone access to him whenever I had a question or concern.
After having a plum-sized malignant tumor removed along with a third of my kidney, I was out of the hospital in three days, off of daytime pain medication in four, and back to work in less than a month. This is all a direct benefit of the laparoscopic approach, without which I would have been laid up for 4-6 months.
A year later I am fully recovered and cancer-free. I hope I never have to go through that again, but if I do, I know that I will be in very good hands.
Sincerely,
Grateful patient, April 2010
Dr. Levy,
I was compelled to write to you about the remarkable experience I had 4 weeks ago when I had a radical nephrectomy (based on a Dx of a 9 cm renal cell carcinoma) at BI performed by Andrew Wagner. I've been in healthcare for over 30 years and before I met Dr. Wagner, my opinion of surgeons was probably stereotypical although reinforced with actual experience. That is, if I talked to a med student who said they were interested in becoming a surgeon I had one of two reactions. The first was, "Good, he/she should definitely have limited contact with conscious people." The second was, "What a waste...he/she would be great with people."
Dr. Wagner caused me to rethink those assumptions as he is as extraordinary in his people skills as he is technically. His technical skills were evidenced by my recovery. Upon leaving the hospital I didn't take as much as a single Advil. To me, that means that he moved my organs so minimally they didn't even know he was there!
It was his humanity though that left a profound impression on me and caused me to trust him absolutely. Some examples...
His first sentence to me was, "I am so sorry this happened to you." And he meant it! After a few minutes of conversation, he asked if anyone accompanied me to the appointment. I responded that my husband and closest friend did and he asked for their names. He then left the room and went to get them. He didn't ask a nurse or a secretary to do it...he brought them in himself. He gave me his email address and responded when I had questions. Finally, he called me the night before the surgery (a Sunday evening) to ask if I had any last minute questions or any anxiety that he could help with. I have never heard of a surgeon doing that and neither have my doctor friends.
Anyway, I thought you might want to hear about an extraordinary physician...what a role model for the rest of the clinical staff!
Sincerely,
Grateful patient, October 2008
Dear Dr. Wagner,
Just wanted to thank you very much for everything. You and your whole team were absolutely outstanding with me. Your personal guidance and experienced information helped me get to the right decision, and you made a very tough experience for me as good as anyone possibly could. I would not hesitate to refer you in a heartbeat to friends or family members who might benefit from your expertise in the future. I mean that very sincerely.
Sincerely,
Grateful patient, March 2009
Dear Dr. Wagner,
I want to thank you ever so much for taking great care of me and making sure all was well with my renal tumor. You never realize until you are in this position how much it means to feel secure and confident with someone who is taking such close care of you. Please thank all of your staff too.
Sincerely,
Grateful patient, December 2007
