Nineteen-year-old Erika Solis never imagined the frightening journey that lay ahead of her when she visited the emergency room of a small hospital on a gloomy night in East Los Angeles.

She'd been feeling sick to her stomach, suffering through intense episodes of cramping and loss of appetite. After ignoring these symptoms for several weeks, a minor seizure made Solis and her mother, Maria, seek help.

In the emergency room, doctors ran numerous tests, but the right diagnosis escaped them. They admitted Solis for observation and began treating her with different blood products.

Solis and her mother spent the first two days in the hospital confined by fears about the future, praying day and night that the pain would go away soon. At the end of second day, Solis was transferred to 430-bed White Memorial Medical Center to consult more specialized doctors.

Clinging to Hope

At WMMC, Solis underwent further testing and with no signs of a clear diagnosis, hope seemed more elusive than ever. Her mother said she couldn't remember a time in her life when she'd prayed with a keener sense of desperation and faith.

Late one evening, Solis felt the life seeping out of her. With a deteriorating condition, she'd begun bleeding from her gastrointestinal tract. Realizing Solis might go into shock, Michael Winkler, M.D., vascular interventional radiologist at WMMC, performed emergency procedures at her bedside in an effort to save her life.

With the support of highly trained staff and state-of-the-art imaging technology, Winkler was able to find and stop the bleeding artery. He also found the cause of the bleeding—an abnormal vessel—a rare malformation most commonly found in elderly patients.

But the ordeal didn't end there. Two days later, the bleeding continued, leading Winkler and general surgeon Faisal Khan, M.D., to agree that surgery was the best option. Relying on an advanced procedure, Khan was able to remove the problem artery and restore Solis to health.

Caring for the Soul

Without advanced diagnostic capabilities and the latest surgical techniques, Solis' condition would've been nearly impossible to identify and treat. But in the end, it was the compassionate care and attention to her spiritual health that sticks in Solis' mind the most. She recalls vividly how the surgical team paused to pray before administering anesthesia.

Although Solis knew her condition was serious, through her faith in God and her trust in the excellent care she received, she found the strength to overcome her troubles. With the worst experience of her life behind her, Solis is thankful to the doctors and staff at WMMC and looks to her future with a greater appreciation for life.

To learn more about WMMC's staff and services, visit whitememorial.com.