Medical Tourist from Nevada Undergoes Three Heart Procedures in Turkey
Dr. Sertac Cicek at Anadolu Medical Center near Istanbul gave medical tourist and cardiac patient John Freeman a survival rate ten times higher--with charges ten times lower--than he'd find in the U.S. Preop tests at Anadolu Medical Center in June revealed he needed not one, but three different procedures to restore his cardiac health. He is now completing his eight week recovery in the comforts of his home in Reno, while singing the praises of his medical team and WorldMed Assist, the company that facilitated the medical journey that saved his life.
Reno, Nevada (PRWEB) July 20, 2009 -- Medical tourist and uninsured website programmer John Freeman now breathes a lot easier after undergoing heart surgery in Turkey, which thanks to Dr. Sertac Cicek at Anadolu Medical Center gave him a survival rate ten times higher and charges ten times lower than he'd find in the U.S. He is now completing his eight week recovery in the comforts of his home in Reno, while singing the praises of his medical team and WorldMed Assist, the company that facilitated his medical journey.
Upon admission to Anadolu Medical Center in June, pre-op tests revealed Freeman not only needed a mitral valve repair, but would also need heart bypass to fix clogged arteries and radio frequency ablation to resolve his fibulation. His bill for all three procedures was $18,000, which he says is a "savings to the John Freeman retirement fund" in triple digits.
While Freeman normally prefers to keep his traveling inside the U.S. borders, events over several months ultimately landed him in a hospital 30 miles outside of Istanbul on a medical journey facilitated by WorldMed Assist. His saga began on a scary November night when, following two weeks of feeling lousy, he had so much trouble breathing that he drove himself to the emergency room early the next morning. Three days and $9,000 later all he had was a diagnosis: he had suffered a minor heart attack and had a lame mitral heart valve. "The on-staff heart doctor wanted to crack me open and operate right then, but I had a hissy fit about the cost, so we postponed it," said Freeman.
Within three months, however, Freeman realized that postponing surgery was no longer an option. Through a friend he discovered medical tourism and early research led him to WorldMed Assist, a California based medical tourism company that could put the whole thing together for him.
He submitted WorldMed Assist's online form, and within minutes, Janet Kwan, case manager and registered nurse, replied, beginning an exchange of information and decisions that would soon lead him to Istanbul. He found himself subconsciously stalling the process by peppering Kwan with questions at every turn. "But every question I asked, Janet had the answer right then and there."
Kwan's medical training enabled her to connect immediately not only with Freeman's health care needs, but also with his emotional state. "I knew he was nervous about the procedure, no matter where he was going to have it, so I let him set the pace. I was there when he wanted to move ahead, but I knew the timing had to be according to his comfort level," said Kwan.
Kwan advised Freeman about options in several countries, then sent him doctors' biographies, video interviews, links, and, "all the stuff one wants when stepping off a cliff into the unknown," Freeman said.
The main factor that guided Freeman's selection of Turkey was Dr. Cicek's credentials. In addition to his 99.8% survival rate, Freeman learned that Dr. Cicek is a U.S. Board Certified surgeon with experience at such top U.S. heart institutions as Mayo Clinic, Texas Heart Institute, and USC Children's Hospital. Anadolu's affiliation with Johns Hopkins -- voted Best Hospital in the U.S .by US News and World Report for the last 18 years -- helped seal the deal.
With his rib cage now healing nicely, Freeman looks back on his medical journey with a high level of satisfaction--with himself for researching medical tourism and making the decision to go to Turkey; with the services of WorldMed Assist, and Janet Kwan in particular; and the skill, training and experience of his surgeon and the entire team at Anadolu. "With the money I saved and the quality of care I got, there's no question I made the right decision," he said.
To keep friends and family informed, Freeman chronicled the entire experience on his blog. His journal provides an honest and up close view of what it's like to be medical tourist all the way from diagnosis to recovery, and is well worth the read for anyone considering such a journey.
About WorldMed Assist
Experts in facilitating global health care, WorldMed Assist's mission is to improve lives by helping patients receive high quality medical treatment abroad at affordable prices. WorldMed Assist coordinates and simplifies every aspect of care and travel to make high quality, low cost cardiac surgery available to North Americans. Waiting times are virtually eliminated, track records are proven, and facilities are state-of-the-art. Learn more about whether medical travel is right for you. WorldMed Assist also provides medical tourism as an option for self-insured businesses seeking expanded and affordable health care options for employees.
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