May 31, 2018

My name is Cadee Esparza and I am a lawyer in Fresno, California.  I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest and sincerest appreciation, respect, and gratitude for Dr. William Slattery, Dr. Gregory Lekovic and the House Clinic staff in Los Angeles, California.  

I was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma on March 22, 2018.  This was after eight months of complaining to local doctors about hearing loss in my right ear.  All this time I was told it was everything from allergies to age.   Finally, an MRI revealed an acoustic neuroma and soon I was referred to Dr. Slattery at the House Clinic. 

 I was scheduled for a consultation at the clinic within a week and at the consultation I was accompanied by my father and sister (a nurse practitioner).  We came prepared with multiple questions and possible scenarios.  Dr. Slattery met with us and after reviewing the MRI, he clearly explained the tumor, its location, and all the possible options, including the pros and cons of each.  Every single one of our questions was patiently answered, some before we even had to ask. We immediately felt comfortable with him and his advice.  Not once did we feel rushed or felt he was just giving us a canned generic speech.  

Ultimately, surgical removal was the best option for me.  It was explained to us that the surgery would be performed as a team with both Dr. Slattery and Dr. Lekovic, the neurosurgeon.

Shortly before the surgery I had a pre-op appointment at the House Clinic, and had my first appointment with Dr. Lekovic.  At this appointment, accompanied by both my parents, we were thoroughly impressed with the time and manner by which Dr. Lekovic explained the procedure.  He explained in clear terms how the goal was to attempt to remove as much of the tumor as could safely be removed, while at the same time attempting to avoid damage to the surrounding nerves.  Again we felt immediately confident and comfortable. 

My surgery was scheduled for May 3^rd, 2018 at Saint Vincent’s Hospital.  We knew the procedure would be lengthy, approximately eight hours.  All during surgery, my family was kept informed and updated with the progress through the use of their friendly and knowledgeable hospital liaison.  My family found great comfort in knowing that the doctors had arranged to make her available as they waited for the surgery to conclude.

Thanks to the skill and expertise of both doctors, my tumor was removed completely while keeping my facial nerve intact and undamaged. 

Thanks to the skill and expertise of both doctors, my tumor was removed completely while keeping my facial nerve intact and undamaged.  I remained in the hospital for four nights (just as I was advised).  Although there was a hospital primary doctor “in charge” of my care, both Drs. Slattery and Lekovic checked on me almost every day.  Everything went exactly as the doctors had explained and about ten days post-op, I returned to the House Clinic for my follow-up.   

At my post-op appointment one of the fellows removed my sutures and gave me post-op physical therapy instructions.  Again, Drs. Slattery and Lekovic met with me and both took the time to sit and talk to me about how I was feeling, what to expect, and which side effects were normal and which ones warranted a call to the clinic.  Both doctors encouraged me to call 24/7 if I ever needed assistance or had a concern.

Drs. Slattery and Lekovic made my family and I feel more like friends than patients. 

Right now my recovery is progressing daily, exactly as I was told it would.  Absolutely everything they advised and consulted me on was 100% accurate.  Drs. Slattery and Lekovic made my family and I feel more like friends than patients.  They took their time to explain everything in a way that we could understand and never rushed us or made us feel like we could not ask further questions.  They took the time and effort to ask questions about my daily life and routine and advised me accordingly as to what to expect not only during my recovery but also for the long term.

 I am extremely grateful for both of these wonderful doctors and feel extremely fortunate that I had not one but two extraordinary and caring doctors whose skill and expertise will allow me to benefit from a full and complete recovery from something that started off to be one of the scariest things a person could be told: “You have a brain tumor”.  I will be forever grateful!