Lifesaving Surgery in a Flash

A referral from a physician at Englewood Health’s Bloodless Institute helped one patient find the right surgeon just in time.

Semi-retired at age 69, Rusty Reznik was savoring his life in Connecticut. Although the pandemic had slowed down international travel with his wife, Gail, Rusty was still enjoying dinners with friends, volunteering, and talking with others about his faith. Then, in the summer of 2023, Rusty took a routine stool test to look for biomarkers of possible colorectal cancer. The results showed that something might be wrong, so he followed up with a colonoscopy. “I’ve never had abnormal colonoscopy results and have no family history of colorectal cancer, but the screening found a large mass,” Rusty says. “My gastroenterologist recommended I find a surgeon immediately.” 

The Search for a Surgeon 

Rusty met with a local surgeon but felt uncomfortable about  moving forward. “We weren’t sure if he would respect our wishes regarding blood transfusions if something went wrong,” Gail says. Rusty decided to call his cardiologist with The Bloodless Institute and ask if he had any recommendations. “I have a lot of bloodless patients, and Rusty’s been a patient for a long time,” says Nate Lebowitz, MD, cardiologist at Englewood Health. “When he told me what was going on, I told him that we have an incredible colorectal surgery program here. Then I called up Dr. Anna Serur, and she said, ‘Give me his number.’” In fact, Anna Serur, MD, Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Englewood Health, called Rusty minutes after he got off the phone with Dr. Lebowitz. Anna Serur, MD “This was on a Wednesday, and she told me she could see me on Friday,” Rusty says. “We went down to New Jersey, and after just a few minutes, we knew she was the way to go.” 

Surgery in September 

Rusty’s surgery was scheduled for September 28. Prior to surgery, he needed a few tests. “I had blood work and an EKG on a Friday,” Rusty says. “Saturday afternoon, Dr. Serur called with my results. What surgeon does that on a weekend? She wanted to reassure me that everything was good to go.” Fortunately, the surgery went exactly as planned. “I performed a robotic right hemicolectomy, removing a portion of his large intestinal colon and connecting his small intestine to the large intestine to recreate a normal digestive tract,” Dr. Serur says. “He had an early-stage cancer in a large polyp. All his lymph nodes and everything else were benign, so he was essentially cured just with the surgery.” Even though Rusty had no symptoms of colorectal cancer, he was glad he had followed his preventive screening schedule. “If I had waited another year or two, I would have been in real trouble,” Rusty says.

The Road to Recovery 

Because the surgery was minimally invasive, Rusty was home from the hospital in just a few days. “He was back to his usual activities quickly, his energy level is good, and he’s going to the bathroom normally,” Dr. Serur says. “He’s really back to 100 percent.” Rusty says the experience was worth the travel. “I was so pleased that if I have a hangnail, I’ll go down to Englewood before I go someplace else,” Rusty says. “If you ask me what the hospital or Dr. Serur or any of the staff could do better, I got nothing!” 

The experience was also positive for his wife, who had to deal with a different set of challenges. “When you’re under stress, you need that comfort of helpful staff and providers,” Gail says. “Just from the start to the finish, everyone made us feel comfortable and confident that we were going in the right direction.” The physician network with The Bloodless Institute is just one of the many benefits for patients. “Almost every physician in every specialty here is as good as anybody I’ve ever worked with in my career at several major hospitals,” Dr. Lebowitz says. “It’s an absolute pleasure that I can call them up for referrals at any time. It makes for seamless communication and advanced patient care.”