Thank you Dr. Akinkuotu

Yesterday I got to see the surgeon that saved my life two and a half years ago and it was so special. The last time Dr. Akinkuotu saw me I weighed 100 pounds, I was sheet white, I was weak, and we had no idea when things would get better. Since then I finally got to a stable weight, I have my color back, I no longer use my feeding tube, and I overall look a lot healthier. 

I will never forget the excitement that Dr. A had in her face when she walked in the room yesterday to greet me -- because of how much better I look. It must be pretty rewarding to see the impact that she has had on my life. I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am for the care I have received from Dr. A and her medical team these past three years. Dr. A not only saved my life, but gave me a chance at a new healthy one and I am forever grateful. 

While I look healthy, I still have daily struggles as a result of everything that happened to me. I still have kidneys that cannot hold onto potassium, vitamin deficiencies, and I have to take a whole barrel of pills every day twice a day. I still get nauseous constantly, and I have to have endoscopies and injections every six months to strengthen my GI tract. But I am still worlds better than when I first met Dr. A in 2021. 

For those of you wondering what happened to me and why I almost lost my life, I had a feeding tube procedure in Winston Salem in October 2021 that went terribly wrong. The procedure left me with a perforation in my stomach that was ignored despite having very alarming symptoms. If I hadn't gotten to UNC Hospital when I did, I know for a fact that I would not be here today. Dr. Akinkuotu and her whole surgical team, along with Dr. Michael Steiner, and a whole team of doctors specializing in Cardiology, Pulmonology, Infectious Disease, Gastroenterology, Nutrition, etc. worked tirelessly to save my life. I probably had 30 doctors working on my case all at once trying to keep me alive. 

The scariest part is that there is a big chunk of time during this experience that I physically cannot remember. All I remember is screaming in pain in Winston Salem because the procedure went terribly wrong and then 12 days later waking up in the ICU after being left open and on a ventilator. It's pretty scary to hear all the things that happened during those 12 days, and not be able to recall any of it. But I know that I was in the best hands, and have complete faith in all of the doctors that worked so hard to keep me alive during that time. 

Yesterday's appointment was such a full circle moment and I will never forget the look on Dr. A's face when she saw me for the first time in two years. She was finally able to hug me for the first time, and it left us all a bit emotional. UNC Hospital has physicians that are not only amazing at their jobs but also just great overall people. Dr. A didn't want to just talk about my health, but she wanted to hear all about my life and what was new since the last time I spoke to her. That's pretty special. She wanted to hear all about my boyfriend, my college life, my whereabouts, travel plans, life goals, etc. Of course she wanted to talk about my feeding tube but she truly cared about me and wanted to know that I am living life again.  And I am - living life again. All thanks to her. 

I've got a lot in my life that I have to be thankful for, and every time I see Dr. A I am reminded just how much I fought to get to this point. So thanks Dr. Akinkuotu. You gave me a shot at life again, and I am eternally grateful.