In the face of critical illness, there’s often one question that we ask ourselves: will I ever be the same again? For Bridgette LeConey, the answer was a resounding yes. She’s back on her horse.
Bridgette, an active and avid horse rider, began an unexpectedly harrowing medical journey when a seemingly routine hiatal hernia surgery at a local hospital led to a severe and life-threatening complication. She developed septic shock and a large abscess extending from her chest to her upper abdomen, a condition so critical that she was transferred to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center for advanced treatment.
Here, she was met by Chief of the Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Bariatric Surgery Abraham Krikhely, MD, who performed a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure to drain the foregut abscess, which was about the size of a grapefruit. Krikhely is an expert in the growing field of foregut surgery, which focuses on treatment of the upper digestive tract, including the esophagus and stomach. The complex procedure was a multidisciplinary effort with thoracic surgeon Bryan P. Stanifer, MD, who focused on her chest repair in the operating room.
What followed was a journey of healing, determination, and a deep sense of gratitude, reflected in a thank-you letter that Bridgette wrote to Dr. Krikhely almost a year after her surgery. In her words:
Dear Dr. Krikhely,
As promised, here is the picture of me and my horse Toby – our first ride since my illness, almost one year ago! I had set my birthday, July 31, as the goal to ride and was able to ride 2 months sooner!
Words cannot adequately express my gratitude to you and your staff. It was very scary being so critically ill and feeling helpless.
However, I am doing well and am 98 percent back—I still get a bit tired, but this too shall pass.
I hope you share this picture with the staff, so they can see all that hard work is not in vein. I pray God continue to bless your skills, and your caring ways.
In gratitude,
Bridgette LeConey
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