Like many diabetic patients, Mr. Senen Robles suffers from peripheral neuropathy, an ailment where sensation is lost in the hands and feet. One day he stubbed his toe and didn’t feel it. The toe became infected. He waited and hoped that it would heal. Instead, the infection spread until gangrene took hold of his bones. The first doctor he consulted suggested amputation up to the knee. He would never stand again. He would never walk again. But thanks to a recommendation from his home health nurse, he sought a second opinion at Beverly Hospital’s Wound Care Center. At the center, Dr. Ara Kelekian, DPM, a foot and ankle specialist, examined his foot and decided that he could do more for Senen Robles than simply amputate.
Dr. Kelekian teamed up with a vascular surgeon and together they conducted a lengthy surgery to remove the infection and ensure proper circulation reached the portion of the foot that could be saved. Today, Mr. Robles is weeks away from being fully recovered and is talking to Dr. Kelekian about the special shoes he’ll need to walk again. “Thanks to Dr. Kelekian, now I am stronger and am able to move around,” says Mr. Robles with a smile. “All I can say is that they’ve done an excellent job…the doctors and the nurses have always delivered great care.”
Senen Robles is not alone. According to the 2015 Los Angeles County Health Survey, an estimated 758,000 LA County adults (9.8%) have been diagnosed with diabetes. Many more have pre-diabetes or are undiagnosed. A hospital with the right resources for their patients can do more than treat a disease: it can offer healing of a patient in a way that preserves that person’s quality of life. As a small community hospital, Beverly takes pride in being a full-service hospital that offers state-of-the art technology with the best and most compassionate health care. Resources like the Wound Care Center, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and its renovated Emergency Care Center are resources that save lives. As one of the few non-profit independent hospitals left in California. Beverly welcomes support from the community it serves.
