We can tell you all the wonderful reasons you should come to University Health System. But the best way to know if University Health System is the right place for you is to hear from our patients. People just like you share inspiring personal stories of hope and healing.
When Cooper's parents found out their son had liver cancer, they worried about his future. Watch his story.
At just 17 years old Paige was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer known as anaplastic large cell lymphoma or ALCL. Four years later, she’s feeling better than she ever has, thanks to the only adolescent and young adult cancer program in South Texas. Learn her story.
Despite being active in sports, 13-year-old Valeria had been noticing her stomach getting larger. When the pain became so intense and unbearable, she texted her mom to come get her. Turns out, she had a five-pound tumor in her ovary. She had surgery at another hospital to have the tumor removed, but when she went home to recover, "the worst" was just beginning. Watch her story.
Minutes after her birth, Laurel was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart defect known as transposition of the great arteries (TGA). The blood vessels taking blood away from her heart were in the wrong place. Laurel’s delivery hospital wasn’t equipped to handle the complexities of her case, and her little heart needed surgery – fast. Watch her story.
One hundred and fifty miles away from San Antonio, Asha was expecting her first baby. At 28 weeks, she got the news – her baby had a serious heart defect. As her due date got closer, she was sent to a larger hospital in San Antonio, where she delivered her baby. But doctors discovered A’Vayah’s heart conditions were much worse than expected. “We need to send you to University Hospital,” they told her. With only a 30 percent chance for her baby’s survival, Asha put her trust and faith in a group of specialists she had just met. Watch her story.
Jennifer Cardenas was 27 and expecting her first child when her heart began beating out of control. It was atrial fibrillation – Afib – a condition where the heart’s natural rhythms spin wildly out of sync. It was a scary episode that returned during her second pregnancy and took over her life. The slightest thing could set off her irregular heart beat. A doorbell. A dropped dish. A barking dog. Watch her story.
Gilbert had no idea he was making history 22 years ago. He was just 2 days old when Dr. John Calhoon repaired his heart. This complicated procedure had never been performed on such a tiny baby. He was given a 50-50 chance to live. Watch his story.
When Rebecca Queseda had a devastating stroke, her local doctors in Corpus Christi knew she needed more advanced care and rushed her via helicopter to University Hospital. Learn her story.
Sebi was only 2 months old when he had his first seizure. At the time, doctors told Sebi’s parents that it was a type of seizure caused by a high fever. Sebi’s parents thought it was a one-time occurrence and that he was in the clear – and for many years, he was. Active and into baseball, Sebi was like any other kid, having fun and enjoying life. But when Sebi was 9, his parents’ worst nightmare came true. He had another seizure. Watch his story.
Six hours after Anthony Redzierez was born, a massive stroke destroyed the entire right side of his brain. Against all odds, the left side of his brain took over, and Anthony gained the motor control that would let him live a normal life. Then, at age five, he was struck by the first of many grand mal epileptic seizures. Medications controlled the seizures for a while. But after Anthony graduated from high school, the seizures returned with disabling frequency. He was told, “There’s nothing more we can do.” Hear his story.
As a trauma surgeon, Dr. Ronald Stewart never expected to be leading a community-wide effort to build a stroke system. But in 2008, that’s exactly what happened as San Antonio was the only major city in Texas without a stroke center. As chair of STRAC, the region’s advisory council on emergency care, he found himself partnered with community advocate Suzanne Hildebrand to make the case - this community deserved best-in-class stroke care. At one point Dr. Stewart told a room full of doctors and hospital leaders: "You know what? I have atrial fibrillation. I could have a stroke and need you guys someday." In 2011, he did. Watch his story.
While on her way to work one morning, Angela had a stroke. Angela was able to start her recovery as part of the Reeves Rehabilitation Outpatient Brain Injury Day Program. Just eight months later, she was back to an active lifestyle.
Angela graduated from the program and has volunteered at University Hospital, giving back to the program that gave her so much. Learn more about our Rehabilitation Services.
Albert was hit by two cars while riding his motorcycle. He suffered many traumatic injuries, including the loss of his right arm. He was in a coma for two weeks in the Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital and then transferred to the Reeves Rehabilitation Inpatient Unit to begin his long road to recovery.
Once Albert went home from the hospital, he started the Outpatient Brain Injury Day Program. He graduated less than a year later. Just five years later, he graduated again; this time with his Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Learn more about our Rehabilitation Services.
Stephanie, a high school German teacher, was badly injured in a horseback riding accident. After three surgeries and several weeks in Intensive Care at University Hospital, Stephanie began treatment in the Reeves Rehabilitation Inpatient Unit. She continued her therapy in the Outpatient Brain Injury Day Program.
Her recovery was remarkable. Thanks to her hard work and motivated therapists, Stephanie returned to teaching and completed her first full year back in the classroom just two years after her accident. Learn more about our Rehabilitation Services.
Janet Wannamaker hadn’t felt well for years and the extreme fatigue along with other symptoms only got worse over time. She eventually sought medical attention, but no one could figure out the root of the problem. Finally, a friend suggested that she get a consult with one of the doctors practicing at the Transplant Center at University Hospital. Janet was told she needed a liver transplant. In a gesture of great significance, her friend’s daughter Sonja Reeves volunteered to donate a small part of her healthy liver to Janet through our Living Donor Liver Transplant Program. Learn more about Janet’s Journey.
As a teenager, the only things that should have been on Jeremy’s mind were doing well in high school, playing sports and spending time with friends. But after increasing fatigue and constant illness, Jeremy was diagnosed with advanced liver disease. Jeremy’s parents, Michael and April, took him to a number of hospitals across the country, and they all offered the same grim news: Jeremy had few options and even less time to get the lifesaving liver transplant he desperately needed. Watch his story.
An active duty army nurse in Germany, Debra found it difficult to complete her work because she was struggling to breathe. In the summer of 2002, she was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and doctors gave her just two years to live. Hear her story.
"It was very easy to make the decision, because it was the right thing to do. That doesn't mean it wasn't the scariest thing in the world." That's how 26-year-old Miranda Bennett reflects on her decision to donate a portion of her healthy liver to save her dying mother. Her mom Tammy Miranda, who was first diagnosed with an autoimmune liver disease in 1996, didn't want her daughter, or anyone, to be a living donor. But in 2014, her disease had progressed to the point where the increased toxins in her blood were causing serious problems, including a loss of brain function. Watch their story.
Addison was running and playing with cousins at a family birthday party in Harlingen – when she fell into a toddler-sized hole that opened into a septic tank. She was transferred from Valley Baptist Medical Center to University Hospital, where the team put Addison on a special machine that provides extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO. Learn more about Addison’s recovery.
Traumatic events can change our lives and those of our loved ones in an instant. The parents of Brooke Brady were shocked when they received a call from their babysitter informing them that their toddler had been viciously attacked by a dog. Doctors from our Level I Pediatric Trauma Center were there for the Brady family when it mattered most. Learn more about Brooke’s recovery.
Monica was on her way to work when she was hit by a drunk driver. Monica didn't know what had happened and woke up, finding herself at University Hospital. The Neurosurgery team and Trauma team, with their combined efforts, saved Monica's life. Watch her story. Watch her story.
When an all-terrain vehicle accident crushed Addison Arabia’s leg, a trauma team at University Hospital replaced dying tissue with skin grafts, then helped the 11-year old learn to walk again. As a teenager Addison wanted to give back. She created a club at her high school that continues to bring joy to other injured children. Learn her story.
Caden was driving a 4-wheeler on his family’s ranch when he cut a corner too sharply. It flipped and landed on top of him, crushing his leg. AirLIFE flew Caden to University Hospital, where the trauma team immediately went to work to stabilize him. After several surgeries, doctors knew saving Caden’s life meant amputating his leg. Losing a leg would be hard for any 13-year-old boy, especially one who loves sports as much as Caden. “You probably won’t be able to play again,” he was told. But Caden likes to prove people wrong – and that’s exactly what he’s doing. Watch his story.
While working a collision on Loop 410, San Antonio officer Jonathan Esquivel was struck by a distracted driver. The impact caused extensive injuries, including a broken neck, shattered pelvis, crushed ankle, ruptured bladder, and some brain damage. Through years of hard work and recovery, he hopes to return to duty one day and possibly run a marathon. Watch his story.
