George's Success Story

 To be told you're going to lose your foot at age 45 is nothing short of devastating, but that is exactly what happened to George Tzortics when he developed a chronic wound underneath his foot cast after undergoing bypass surgery on his right leg.  When his cast was removed in October 2009, unveiled was a massive, black wound on his foot that was so painful, even the slightest touch would send George into screaming pain.  George stayed in a hospital bed for three months after that, just waiting for someone to save his foot, but it appeared as if nothing was being done to help him. 

 "My old doctor had made up his mind and was determined to cut it off, so he didn't do much to help me during those three months," says George.  "So I laid there and just watched my wound get worse and worse...I could see the bone at one point."  When his doctor had a prosthetics expert come in to make a mold of his foot before it was amputated, George decided that he wasn't staying there any longer and came rushing to the St. Vincent's Wound Care Center in desperation.  "I have a friend who is a doctor here and he said the Wound Care Center does great things and I should give them a try. I knew I had to."

 George was first seen by Dr. John Doolan in January of 2009.  Dr. Doolan, along with several other St. Vincent's wound care experts, decided that if they could get blood flowing to George's foot again, they could fix it.  When they told George this news, he began to cry with tears of joy.  With the New Year came new hope for George and he was on his way back to normalcy.  In just two days after his initial visit, the wound care team restored George's circulation and he was no longer in excruciating pain when something was done involving his foot.  "I could move it, touch it and have it cleaned without taking morphine for the first time in months.  Two days after I came here."

 Peter Librizzi, R.N. is George's nurse and attests that George's wound was one of the worst he has ever seen.  But just six months after beginning treatment at the wound care center Mr. Librizzi says, "it looks really good today! It's closing up and doing great."

 "I would tell anyone to come here," says George. "They take the time here and most places don't.  On a Monday I was told my foot was getting cut off and the following Friday I came St. Vincent's and within two hours they told me 'we could save it'.  It's amazing what they do." 

Henry's Success Story

"You just can't imagine how bad it was," says Joan Wall as she begins to recall the difficult journey that led her husband, Henry, to the St. Vincent's Wound Care Center in 2006.  But after two years of frequent visits to Dr. Francis and the entire wound care team, Henry completely recovered from his traumatic wounds despite all odds.

"You couldn't ask for better care," Henry continues, "there are no words to describe how excellent this place is."

Henry arrived at the St. Vincent's Wound Care Center at 80 years of age and suffering from eight non-healing wounds that stemmed from multiple causes.  He had developed pressure sores on his back that resulted from his prolonged hospital stay when he was treated for cancer.  He also had multiple sores on his right foot due to obscured circulation throughout his leg from a previous knee surgery.  But worst of all was the infected wound on Henry's left foot.  Due to the steroids he received to relieve the pain from his cancer treatment, Henry developed steroid myopathy, which destroyed all of the tissue in his left ankle.  "The whole thing was white, and the odor was absolutely unbearable...I was told by my oncologist that there was a distinct possibility I would have to lose my whole foot."  By that time, the pain and stress of these debilitating wounds had begun to take over his life.  After battling cancer and other health ailments, Henry's wounds were like the straw the broke the camel's back and he began to give up all hope of ever getting well again.

 "He had lost his will to live, and I had no idea how I was going to care for him if he lost his foot. I had no idea what we were going to do," says Joan.

 Thankfully, after his oncologist referred him to St. Vincent's, our wound care team began to restore the Walls' hope when a comprehensive care plan was put in place and all of Henry's wounds began to show progress.  Even his left ankle, which some said would never get better, is fully healed today thanks to Dr. Francis who was able to remove all of the dead tissue and allow the ankle to reconstitute itself.  "They were thorough and they were creative and they truly cared," says Henry.  At age 83, Henry feels he and his wife have many more happy and healthy years together because he was given his life back by the "miracle workers" at St. Vincent's.