Couple Returns to Thank Hospital Staff for Great Care

BY CHRISTIN ERAZO
SPECIAL TO THE MIAMI HERALD

AVENTURA, FL (May 31, 2010) When Tanya and Steven Hill of Boston came to Aventura Hospital's emergency room a year ago, they were filled with terror as Steven's life hung in the balance because of a massive stroke.

But on a visit to the same emergency May 20, the couple was filled with gratitude. Steven, who is unable to speak easily, shook the hands of his physicians and nodded his head in thanks to those who had cared for him.

"All I can remember from that time is feeling horror and being terrified," said Tanya Hill as she held her husband's hand. Steven Hill smiled as he looked at his wife. "Nothing then made sense. We wanted to come back because these people are amazing. They gave us back Steven."

Hill, her husband and his parents were invited to participate in Aventura Hospital's health fair to recognize National Stroke Awareness month. The family's goal was to educate about the risk of strokes to young people.

Hill's eyes welled up and her voice cracked as she delivered a speech that recounted he moments that led to her husband's hospitalization.

While vacationing in Jamaica last year, Steven, 34, complained to his wife that he was not feeling well. In a matter of moments, he suffered multiple seizures that caused a massive hemorrhage on the left side of his brain.

Without proper facilities and equipment in Jamaica, the Hills were airlifted to Aventura Hospital where Steven Hill received a brain scan and other care.

"We were told that Steven had a large clot in his main sinus vein and that if it traveled any further back he would be brain dead," she said.

Steven Hill has a genetic blood disorder called Protein C Deficiency that can exist in one of every 200 people. It is believed that this disorder, which can be aggravated by dehydration, promotes clotting and was linked to the cause behind the seizures and stroke.

After Steven Hill underwent surgery to reduce the swelling in his brain, the couple spent four weeks at the hospital before they returned to Boston.

Recovery has been a slow but steady process. Initially after surgery, Steven Hill could not speak or move the right side of his body. He is now able to speak some words and form sentences, even though it is difficult for him.

He has also been able to achieve mobility in his legs, although his right hand remains paralyzed. Hill, who had been a computer expert at a financial investment firm in Boston, is fully disabled and is receiving disability and Social Security disability payments.

"It was great to see him walk and it was kind for them to come back and visit," said Dr. Santiago Figuereo, a neurosurgeon who treated Hill during his hospital stay.

His sister has formed the Steven T. Hill stroke foundation to educate young people about the risk of stroke, how to prevent the risk of stroke and the importance of immediate care. The foundation collects money for Hill's recovery, therapy and medical needs.

"We will fund recovery of other young stroke victims once Steven's needs are fully met," said his wife, a controller for a financial firm in Boston who dedicates her free time to sharing her husband's story through slide shows on stroke prevention.

According to statistics from the American Heart Association, there are 795,000 strokes per year. People under 45 make up for 4 percent of this figure, totaling up to 32,000 strokes per year.

"We know we have a long way to go, but looking back over the past year we have also come a very long way," Hill said, looking at her husband. "Just look at that smile. It truly says it all."

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About Miami Neurological Institute

Located in Aventura, Fla., Miami Neurological Institute offers minimally invasive, state-of-the-art procedures for disorders of the brain and spine. The Institute's founder and medical director, Santiago Figuereo, M.D., is a board certified neurological surgeon who brings unique techniques to the region, including craniotomy with hair preservation, minimally invasive spinal discectomy, and minimally invasive endoscopic techniques for intracranial, skull base, and pituitary tumors. He is highly skilled in the surgical management of movement disorders, including deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease and surgical procedures for epilepsy.

Prior to arriving in South Florida, Dr. Figuereo served as standing faculty and assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Neurosurgery Division Chief at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center.

Dr. Figuereo studied general surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia and his neurological surgery residency was completed at Loma Linda University Medical Center. He completed a neurosurgery fellowship at the University of Washington and a fellowship in functional neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit www.miamini.com or call (786) 623-2000.

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