★★★★★
Exceptional, skilled, and caring provider
Dr. Iribarne is a highly skilled and compassionate surgeon. At our initial consultation, he clearly explained the planned surgery for my husband and answered all our questions in a calm and reassuring manner.
On the day of surgery, Dr. Iribarne met with me both before and after the procedure, always demonstrating genuine care.
Following the surgery, he visited daily, personally overseeing my husband's post-operative care, providing updates on his recovery, and remaining readily available to address any questions we had.
As a spouse, I felt my role was respected and welcomed--I was truly part of the care team, ensuring my husband's needs were fully addressed.
I highly recommend Dr. Iribarne. He is a skilled, compassionate surgeon who delivers the highest standard of care.
★★★★★
Dr. Alexander Iribarne is a respected thoracic surgeon who has (deservedly) emerged as a hero within Northwell's roster of hip, smart, and savvy cardiological stars. He diagnosed me correctly, treated me with skill and sensitivity, and released me after a five-day stay at Staten Island University Hospital's North Campus on Seaview Avenue. Today, a month after my (radical, life-saving) surgery, I am thriving, deeply impressed with his skill, his attention to detail, and his close collaboration with every member of his often very charming team.
None of this came hastily. During the year that preceded my (ultra-high-tech) thoracic surgery, Rita Minickene (his hard-working appointments secretary) arranged and scheduled--better than a high-end concierge at a five-star European hotel--at least a dozen procedures with other medical specialists, scheduling them in ways that never seemed inconvenient or intrusive. My point is that Iribarne and his staff have a VERY serious approach when it comes to safety and scientific rigor, and a LIGHT TOUCH when it comes to humor and a de-emphasis of the trivial.
I basked in (i.e., deeply appreciated) the medical scrutiny I received prior to his diagnosis. And when it came, it was matter-of-fact, concise and no-nonsense, but reassuring. It seems (WHO KNEW?) that I had developed an aortic aneurism that had become alarmingly enlarged. He defined it as a hereditary defect that, had it continued unchecked, would--probably during a moment of stress, perhaps even at the gym--have exploded the largest artery in my body.
'What to do?" I fretted. My smarter side told me, "Grin, bear it, and rigorously follow all of the Iribarne team's instructions and appointments." And so I did.
Thus, alone, provisioned only with the contents of a shopping bag, and in an Uber, I hauled myself on a Monday at dawn to Northwell's Heart Tower for open heart surgery that lasted, I was told, 81/2 hours and involved a surgical team of as many as 20 technicians.
DID YOU KNOW? that the SIUH's Heart Tower was donated by local hoteliers and philanthropists "Lois and Richard" whom I once met at one of their hotel events long ago and far away? Many thanks to both of them. Many of us who were healed in that tower will remember them, with respect and admiration, always.)
Dr. Iribarne himself--strong, tough, smart, wryly amusing, and wiry--labored for 41/2 of those hours, enveloping my (enlarged and ready-to-rupture aorta) in Dacron, substituting a cow's valve for my (damaged) original, closely monitoring my vital signs, pumping me full of antibiotics, and leaving the rest to God and to Northwell's hospital recovery team.
And so I healed, with some discomfort and anxiety, but with as much humor as I could muster, and with faith that better days would come. And so they have, with less drama than I feared.
Today, four weeks after the surgery, I'm mobile, self-sufficient, and pouring out work assignments from the safety of my home office, planning, plotting, and scheming with a keen sense of gratitude to Dr. Iribarne and the surgical team at Northwell. And YES, there have been many spiritual insights since my enforced "slowdown." Grateful I am for what I've learned.
QUESTION: Other than Iribarne himself, who do I remember from my "Fires of September" with the greatest tenderness? It's the nursing team in the recovery room at Northwell's Heart Tower, bless all of them. Of special note is Turkish-born Sev Suleiyman (an Angel made manifest!!), followed with magnificent and multiple kindnesses from that hardworking Filipino Kevin (who was with me when I first "awakened from the dead"), Chris, LaKeisha, Doug, Nika, and John. To all of them, to those whose names I never learned, MANY thanks for your collective humor, sensitivity, and grace. To all of them, and to Northwell, I will be forever grateful.
Sincere best wishes, and L'Chaim from
William Danforth Prince
