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  • Perpheral Artery Disease Patient Regains Use of Right Leg
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  • Joshua Poytress: Life-Threatening Blood Clot
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Patient Stories

Here are some stories of grateful vascular and endovascular surgery patients and their families that we hope will encourage and inspire others.

DAVID GANZ: PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE

David Ganz had experienced cramp-like pain in his right leg for two or three years. A stoical, 76-year-old ex-Marine, he disregarded the discomfort until it became so severe one cold February day that he couldn't stand up. A cardiologist friend referred Mr. Ganz to the CardioVascular Institute (CVI) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) for a non-invasive ultrasound that identified significant circulation blockages in his right leg. He also suggested that Mr. Ganz contact Allen Hamdan, MD, a CVI vascular surgeon.  Read More >>

VLADIMIR PALLER: PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE

He could have lost both of his legs. Vladimir Paller, 56, a former construction designer from Belarus in the Soviet Union, received his first scare, involving his left leg, in 1992, after he and his wife had emigrated to Ontario, Canada. "I was in terrible pain; I couldn't walk," he recalls. Vladmir went to a hospital in Toronto, where he was told his leg would need to be amputated. Fortunately, he consulted with his family doctor, who referred him to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Read More >>

JOSHUA POYTRESS: LIFE-THREATENING BLOOD CLOT

It was game three of the 2009 season for the Cape Cod League, the oldest amateur baseball league in the nation, when left-handed pitcher Joshua Poytress noticed his arm was swollen and discolored. For two consecutive days prior to game three, Poytress had felt sharp pains in his scapula (shoulder blade). The 18-year-old California State University Fresno freshman - an elite player who had been drafted in the 16th round to the Houston Astros as a high school senior -- decided to rest his arm and wait for the pain to subside. What Poytress believed to be a pinched nerve was actually a life-threatening blood clot. Read More >>