Compassionate Care from Day One

When Sarina Rizzi’s surgery at another hospital was abruptly canceled because of her family’s beliefs, her parents turned to the team at The Bloodless Institute at Englewood Health.

Like many toddlers, three-year-old Sarina Rizzi is always on the move. Sarina lives on Long Island, New York, with her parents, Frank and Daniela, and enjoys swimming, jumping on the trampoline, and trying to keep up with her older sister and cousin. When Sarina was around age two, her parents noticed she was having difficulty breathing at night. “Several times a week, sometimes twice in one night, Sarina would wake up with excessive coughing and then start throwing up,” Daniela says. “It was heartbreaking to hear her gasping for air, and it got so bad she was afraid to take naps or go to sleep at night.” 

Diagnosis and Disappointment

A sleep study in October 2022 revealed Sarina had acute sleep apnea—a condition that causes people to stop and start breathing repeatedly as they sleep. It was determined that surgical removal of Sarina’s tonsils and adenoids was the best course of treatment. In December 2022, the family gathered at their local hospital, and Sarina was prepped for surgery. When the anesthesiologist balked at the family’s requirement for bloodless surgery, their surgeon canceled the procedure. “Sarina could not understand why the doctors would not help her that day,” Daniela says. “We contacted the Hospital Liaison Committee for Jehovah’s Witnesses and were referred to Englewood Hospital.” 

Treatment at The Bloodless Institute

Kevin Ende, MD, ear, nose, and throat surgeon with The Bloodless Institute, explained Sarina’s condition and the pros and cons of surgery in detail. Sarina’s surgery was performed on January 12, 2023, and after overnight monitoring of her breathing she was back at home the next day. “When a patient enters the bloodless program here, there’s a discussion with everyone involved in their care, from preop all the way through the entire hospital stay, so we’re all on the same page and able to ensure they receive bloodless care,” Dr. Ende says. “Sarina then came to see me two weeks after the procedure so I could check and be sure everything had healed all right, which it did, and she told me all the good news about how she was recovering. The sleep apnea seemed to have disappeared.” Sarina is no longer afraid to fall asleep, and her parents sleep better, too. “Everyone at The Bloodless Institute made sure my daughter was very well taken care of, while honoring our wishes,” Daniela says. “I want parents to know you don’t need to settle; you should be able to find a doctor who will work with you and will respect your wishes, religious or personal, no matter what the case may be.”