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Heart & Vascular

OC Businessman Chooses Mini Maze for His Atrial Fibrillation

For Sam Wolgemuth the problem was perplexing. After a day of clearing fallen trees on his vacation property in Wisconsin, Wolgemuth felt something he hadn’t ever felt before. His heart was pounding. It was uncomfortable, but not painful. It definitely wasn’t a heart attack, but then what was it? Wolgemuth’s wife, a nurse, listened to … Read More

Heart & Vascular

Ken D.

Ken Darby was in pain. His aortic valve had grown so calcified, his cardiologist likened it to porcelain. He couldn’t walk up hills without getting winded, he was tired all the time, and a trip he and his wife, Annette, had planned to France had to be put on hold. He needed surgery. Darby had … Read More

Cancer

Robotic Hysterectomy Treats Uterine Cancer

For about a year, Huntington Beach resident Janis Kirkpatrick, was experiencing irregular bleeding, so she decide to speak with a physician about it. She was referred to Jonathan Wheeler, M.D., a Hoag-affiliated Obstetrician/Gynecologist who discovered that Janis had been through menopause, and that the spotting she was experiencing was post-menopausal. “I didn’t even realize I … Read More

Cancer

Fighting against endometrial (uterine) cancer

Robotic surgery is also utilized in the fight against cancer – as was the case for Gloria Medlin, a devoted mother, grandmother and energetic Irvine resident. During her annual well-woman check-up, Gloria discussed with her physician that she had been having post-menopausal spotting. She was referred to a gynecologist who performed a biopsy, which determined … Read More

Cancer

When cancer strikes "below the belt"

​When cancer strikes “below the belt,” the results can be devastating to a couple. In addition to standard fears that accompany a diagnosis of the “Big C,” reproductive cancers carry the potential for sexual dysfunction and loss of intimacy. The Pinterpes of Huntington Beach faced those fears. Twice. Sam Pinterpe, 69, was diagnosed with prostate … Read More

Cancer

Families Trust Mom, and Mom Trusts Hoag

​​In 2011, Jennifer Yee went from being a happily married woman expecting her first child to an ovarian cancer patient overnight. The elation she felt after years of trying to conceive was suddenly at risk as her world turned upside down. The questions, confusion and fear could have been overwhelming for someone facing two significant, … Read More

Cancer

Rare Cancer Requires Specialized, Caring Team

Jillian Rossello wanted everyone to forget that she had been an ER nurse at Hoag. “Act like I don’t know anything,” she’d tell her doctors and nurses. Because, in the case of her rare form of sarcoma, she really didn’t. At the age of 28, Rossello was diagnosed with dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP), a tumor that … Read More

Melanoma Survivor Thankful for Hoag’s New Melanoma & Skin Cancer Program

"World-class health care and very personalized approach, to have that locally at Hoag, it blew me away."

Neuroscience

Steven Fink Hadn’t Slept Well in 30 Years

Before he retired, Steven, 65, had been a high-powered salesman and the single father of three boys. When his head hit the pillow at night, instead of drifting off to sleep, he found his mind racing – going over conversations he had had at work, thinking about his kids, planning, reviewing, contemplating. He didn’t feel … Read More

Neuroscience

Brain Tumor Survivor is Celebrating Six Years and Counting Thanks To Hoag

For Lindsay Susskind, life is good. Wearing a bright sundress and a sunny smile, Lindsay’s excitement towards life shows as she talks about her recent engagement.