On a Mediterranean cruise with my two daughters and 13 friends, I became ill and had trouble breathing. The ship’s doctor arranged for an ambulance to take me to a private clinic in Corfu, Greece, where I had an endoscopy and paracentesis.1 

Previously, I was treated at Cleveland Clinic for atrial fibrillation and cirrhosis. My daughter provided the medical team in Greece with all the information they needed on my medical history by accessing MyChart. When my doctor discovered I was a Cleveland Clinic patient, I was treated like royalty. He credited Cleveland Clinic with teaching them so much. I was referred to as “the one from Cleveland Clinic.” 

Soon after my return to the U.S., I was admitted to Cleveland Clinic several times for encephalopathy 2 and ascites3, and ultimately stage 4 liver failure. I was approved for a liver transplant at age 75, and I couldn’t have had a better outcome. I’m so grateful to the liver transplant team and to my wonderful doctors and nurses, who became friends. 

 

Darlene Stauffer hopes to travel again when the pandemic is behind us. In the meantime, she enjoys golfing and line dancing, and she recently took her first Zumba class.

Illustration of a Steamboat

 Illustration: Elvis Swift

Notes

  1. A procedure to remove excess fluid from the abdomen.
  2. A neurological disorder.

  3. A buildup of fluid in the abdomen.