DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO DR. HARARI AND DR. HEANY. This past May my doctor discovered by accident that I had a tumor in my abdominal cavity. After many months of testing I was referred to an endocrinologist and I was very fortunate to have Dr. Anthony Heany take my case, who ordered another round of multiple tests and specialized scans to finally confirm that I had a tumor in my adrenal glands. I still did not have any symptoms at all –no high blood pressure, no sweating, and no trembling. Dr. Heany referred me to Dr. Avital Harari who explained to me that the tumor was a paraganglioma, which means, it was outside the adrenal glands, and it was located between the aorta and the vena cava. Dr. Harari explained clearly all the potential complications and she decided to invite Dr. Quinonez, a vascular surgeon, to participate in the surgery. Dr. Heany prepared me in advance for the surgery by prescribing medication to lower my blood pressure and heart rate dramatically to prevent any possible spike during surgery. Dr. Heany was unbelievably supportive and optimistic about the outcome of the surgery.

My surgery took place on September 18, 2012 and when I woke up in the recovery room Dr. Avital Harari was there next to me greeting me with one of her big, contagious smiles to let me know that after a 4.5 hour procedure the surgery had gone well. She had excised the tumor that was attached only to small vessels (as opposed to arteries), and the prognosis looked very good. I stayed in the hospital for six days, in which I had the best care possible from Dr. Harari and her team of surgeons. They checked on me every day, sometimes, several times per day, and I always felt that in spite that this tumor was very rare, and this kind of procedures was unknown to even family doctors, the medical team had a command of the care and attention I needed. I was also pleasantly surprised to receive the visit of the endocrinologist team presided by Dr. Heany. His research fellows visited me every single day in the hospital, and their presences, as well as Dr. Heany’s visit, made me feel extremely supported.

I was very lucky to have access to the UCLA endocrinology department. The specialized knowledge that Dr. Heany and Dr. Harari have on pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas is absolutely exceptional. UCLA has one of the best teams conducting research on issues affecting the adrenal glands. I went into surgery confident that I was in the best hands ever. My son, a first-year secondary English teacher said to me after the surgery, “Dr. Harari is a genius! She has the ability to be this incredible surgeon and at the same time, she has the heart and the compassion to communicate with her patients and their family about what she just did. She saves lives!” I happily concurred with my son. Dr. Harari is a rising star in the Endocrine surgery unit at UCLA.

Right now, I am recovering nicely. The incision is big but is healing, and I am planning on going back to teach next semester. As Dr. Heany said optimistically at the beginning of this ordeal, “this is just a bump in the road.” I am now very positive that this is the situation for me. I am deeply grateful to both, Dr. Harari and Dr. Heany for the caring support, and to their resident doctors, research fellows and staff. They are the best!