Dameron Hospital | Health Outlook | Summer 2019

dameronhospital.org 5 Maria Currie, MD, PhD, FRCSC, Stanford cardiac surgeon memories of his lost love, he decided to reach out to Jonee with an attempt to return the ring. Amazingly, after he sent her a letter in the mail, she responded with her contact information. A hopeless romantic, Knut decided to seize the opportunity to deliver the ring in person and surprise his old flame. The encounter played out like a romance novel: Knut and Jonee immediately realized that the love they had shared in their youth was never lost. When they met again, it was clear that they were soulmates—and that fate had given them a second chance. Knut relocated to Stockton and married Jonee in 2015. Enter the heart-health heroes As much as Knut and Jonee agreed that it was like reliving 1966 all over again, they also accepted the reality that the passage of time had changed some things. Ongoing health issues were holding them back from the perfect lives they wanted to lead together. That’s how Dameron Hospital’s excellence in care entered the picture. Knut was diagnosed with a severely narrowed aortic valve by Lee Stenzler, MD, FACC, a cardiologist with Pacific Heart & Vascular. For most people, a clinical diagnosis confirms when we believe “something doesn’t feel right.” Over time, Knut had grown accustomed to feeling light- headed and out of breath with exertion and experiencing severe leg cramps at night. “It finally got to a point when I realized that something was very wrong and I needed to regain control of my health and my life,” he says. Upon confirming serious heart valve issues, Dr. Stenzler referred Knut to Maria Currie, MD, PhD, FRCSC, a cardiac surgeon with the Stanford Cardiac Surgery Program at Dameron Hospital. “After evaluating Mr. Ogaard’s case, it was clear that he needed to have his aortic valve replaced,” Dr. Currie says. “Along with my colleagues, Claire Watkins, MD, another Stanford cardiac surgeon here at Dameron, and anesthesiologist Alan Sabino, MD, we were able to successfully complete the procedure. Knut was an ideal patient because of his positive attitude and commitment to improving his health.” “I know that my life was saved by Dr. Currie, Dr. Watkins and the wonderful staff of Dameron Hospital,” says Knut. “I’ve undergone more than a dozen surgeries at different hospitals in Germany and the United States, and I can honestly say that the best experience I’ve ever had was at Dameron. Everyone I encountered made me feel welcomed and important; they were genuinely concerned and all rooting for me to get better. It really made a difference in helping me focus on healing and getting back on my feet as soon as possible.” —Continued on page 6 DON’T LEAVE YOUR FATE TO CHANCE. To learn more about the Stanford Cardiac Surgery Program at Dameron Hospital, visit dameronhospital.org/Stanford .