Page 96 - The Exceptional Harley Fetterman

JUDY K JOHNSON

what part of my optic nerve was good and what part was tumor while
he was doing the surgery. He was able to remove most of the tumor
without affecting the little bit of eye sight I still have. My
neurosurgeon had to sever the optic nerve to my right eye to do this,
but I am still able to use my left eye some and I have had no more
issues since the surgery.”
“There are many things that I really appreciated when I was
staying at the hospital. I think I need to talk about how great the staff
is. Dr. Wells is my oncologist. He has listened to all of my corny jokes
over the years even if he’d heard them a million times and always
came back with a few of his own.”

“Dr. George and Dr. Wilson are my neurosurgeons. They are two
of the best neurosurgeons in the nation. I remember when I was
recovering from my first brain surgery, Dr. Wilson had a Nerf toy war
with me. And Dr. George was instrumental in getting the IMRI
installed which enabled me to have most of my tumor removed.”
“The nurses have always been very friendly and look for ways to
make the stay in the hospital more comfortable. The Child Life
Specialists are wonderful people that know what kids need to distract
them from the stress of waiting for surgery. They even use to let me
ride a tractor around in the Panda Unit while I was waiting for surgery
or for an MRI. (Remember, I’m blind.) They were very patient with
me and would help me maneuver around without running into
people.”

“But I had all those people and the little Healing Garden at the old
Children’s Hospital. Now, Dell Children’s Medical Center has all
those things and more. Just like everything in Texas, everything is just
a little bit bigger at the medical center.”
“Another wonderful thing is the Healing Garden in the back of the
hospital. Compared to the one at the old hospital, this one is more like
a park. After a typical surgery, I usually stay in my room hooked up to
machines and fluids for several days. It is such a relief to be able to
walk out to the garden after several days and get out in the sunshine. I
really like the big marble at the front of the garden. I also like the
maze further back and the “human sun dial” out by the pond.”

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