Dr. Marla Dubinsky: “Full of Love”
Colon surgery wasn’t the Christmas present Rebecca and Jason Tomasulo had in mind for their daughter Savannah, but it was the only gift the 7-year-old wanted. “The first time I met her, she said to me, ‘All I want for Christmas is for you to take my colon out,’” said Dr. Aaron Lipskar, chief of pediatric surgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. “You don’t usually hear that from a 7-year-old,” he said. But he soon learned Savannah is no ordinary kid. At 2, the rambunctious toddler began to suffer extreme stomach problems — including constant diarrhea and bleeding. Her mom Rebecca knew it wasn’t normal, but it took several meetings with doctors to diagnose Savannah with ulcerative colitis. The disease causes severe, chronic inflammation of the bowel. The lining of Savannah’s colon and rectum was pocked by painful ulcers. The family went through nearly five years of trying everything medically possible to alleviate the aggravating condition, said Rebecca.
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