Dana Calls the University of Oklahoma Medical Center ICU Team Her Healthcare Heroes

2021 was a big year for Oklahoma City-native Dana Hatch. She just celebrated a milestone birthday and her third wedding anniversary with a trip to the beaches of Honolulu.

After this relaxing trip, Dana was scheduled to have a routine procedure at OU Health University of Oklahoma Health Medical Center. What was supposed to be a quick outpatient surgery soon turned into 10 days in the Intensive Care Unit.

As Dana woke up from the surgery, all she remembers is a man leaning over her telling her she had serious complications during surgery. Dana wasn’t breathing on her own, and she was soon taken to the ICU.

For days, doctors and her healthcare team worked around the clock, trying to figure out what was wrong with Dana. Her physicians poured over her medical records and ran new tests daily.

“They fought so hard, you would have thought it was a war,” said Dana. “They didn’t even know me, and they put their heart and soul into saving me.”

After seven days in the ICU, Dana was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension and congestive heart failure. Dana shares that if she had never gone in for that routine surgery, she might not have ever received this critical diagnosis, until it was too late. Undiagnosed, these serious conditions could be fatal.

Hospitalized during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and a limited visitors policy, Dana never had to worry about receiving support.

“My team of doctors came in every day – just like they were family,” Dana shared. “I never had to wonder if I would see a friendly and caring face.”

Dana got to see who her healthcare team really was – and to her, they are heroes. She is now inspired to give back, and looks forward to thanking the doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who saved her life in person one day.

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