Saturday, September 8, 2012

Denise

Trying to express what Dr. Siebert has meant to us in our lives is like trying to climb a ladder to the moon. It is beyond the ability to fathom. There is so much to express. My daughter with PRS, Denise, and I, love Dr. Siebert with all our hearts. Because of this, we will try to put our appreciation and love into words. The words will be inadequate.

I first heard of Dr. Siebert on the Romberg’s connection. My daughter had already had one surgery in late 2001, here in Oregon where we live. It was questionably successful. Dr. Siebert had a new procedure with much more positive results. I was interested and wanted to learn more. After contacting Dr. Siebert’s office, I received a return phone call from Dr. Siebert. I was impressed, because doctors rarely call you directly. Even more impressive was that he spent 45 minutes on the phone with me, never rushing me or making me feel like we were limited in time. The funny part of this, that I never told Dr. Siebert about, is that I was driving from Los Angeles to Palm Springs when he called me. I thought I was following the printed directions from the computer, but I somehow ended up in San Diego instead of Palm Springs while talking to Dr. Siebert! It is 2 1/2 hours from LA to Palm Springs, and it is 2 1/2 hours from San Diego to Palm Springs! But it was well worth it!

Denise was not open to another surgery, but she agreed to meet Dr. Siebert, albeit not fully willingly. Her cousin went to school at the University of Wisconsin at the time, and that was the draw - we would visit her cousin in Madison also. Well, we went to our appointment with Dr. Siebert. You know the phrase, “You had me at hello”. Well, that was pretty much it. In less than 5 minutes, Dr. Siebert’s smile, reassurance, ability to make us feel at ease and his ability to let us know the depth of his caring, came through immediately. We both knew she would have the surgery with Dr. Siebert.

Dr. Siebert is a skilled surgeon, and has helped hundreds of PRS patients and hundreds of other people with a need for plastic surgery. Denise’s PRS has been minimized with the talent and care of Dr. Siebert. If that were all that he did, we would bless him. But Dr. Siebert goes beyond that. He loves his patients and their families and it shines through in his smile, his conversations with us (which seem to have no time limits), and his follow-through. He ensures that follow-up care is proper, and cheers up his patients in the hospital, where they are resting after surgery. He is one of those rare people who walks into a room and the room glows.

We love Dr. Siebert for his care and repair of PRS patients. We love Dr. Siebert for his love of us and all of his patients. We love Dr. Siebert because he understands and shares empathy. Dr. Siebert is truly an exceptional man. And, as I said in opening, these words are inadequate. Thank you, Dr. Siebert. You have meant the world to Denise. She feels like she could climb that ladder to the moon with you holding it.

Lisa
Denise's Mom