Seton Social 2011 a Huge Success!

What an incredibly amazing way to celebrate for a good cause! The Seton Hays Foundation’s Seton Social 2011 proved enormously successful thanks to the generosity of some 350 guests, sponsors and underwriters. Everyone enjoyed the beautiful Wild Onion Ranch, with many first-time visitors saying “I hadn’t heard of this place before now, but it is absolutely fabulous! What a great place for a party!”

And what a party it was. Along with the fantastic venue, Seton Social attendees enjoyed the Grammy Award-winning sounds of Grupo Fantasma, fabulous food and beverages and a whole lot more!

All total, more than $182,000 (net) was raised to benefit Seton Medical Center Hays in Kyle. Guests were in a bidding mood for both the live and silent auctions. The two combined brought in more than $81,000!

“We cannot thank all of our supporters enough for making our Seton Social 2011 so successful and memorable,” said Gerald Hill, Executive Director, Seton Hays Foundation. “In particular, I want to recognize Andy and Sarah Edgerton for opening up their ranch and their home for the event. They are true friends of Seton Hays. We can’t wait to go back next year!”

A Grateful Patient Shares His Story

Ian Green spent 30 years as a “company doctor,” before he retired and moved from Houston to Driftwood with his wife of 53 years, Norma.

“It was very fulfilling to help companies that were falling apart turn around and succeed,” explains Ian. “I was able to save a lot of jobs and can truly say that what I did impacted whole families. When I was finished working with a company, it always gave me a warm feeling to be able to say those folks were safe and secure.”

Now, Ian stays busy with both the Rotary and the Starlight Symphony Orchestra in Wimberley, among other things. He and Norma, who he’s known since she was three years old, have a son, Jonathan and a daughter, Melanie who has two daughters of her own. Visiting his children and grandchildren is definitely a favorite pastime for Ian. But, he also enjoys spending time at his Driftwood ranch.

“When we decided to move from England, Norma said we needed an adventure and ultimately, needed to retire somewhere where it’s warm! We first visited Colorado (where Melanie lives) and New Mexico. Then a surgeon friend suggested the Austin area and we explored Marble Falls, Dripping Springs, but when we got to Wimberley, we fell in love and settled close by at a 13-year-old ranch.”

Ian Green

While spending time receiving medical care would likely not rank high on a list of wanted adventures, utilizing the services here at Seton Medical Center Hays has wound up occupying a great deal of Ian’s time over the last few months.

“I have had a lot of experience with hospitals, especially in England,” says Ian. “I always had great care in England. Once you announced you were building Seton Hays, since I’m only 8 miles away, I was excited. After all, I’m getting up in years and that’s when things start falling off.”

Fortunately, nothing has fallen off of Ian Green! But, one of his visits to Seton Hays recently included having to be admitted. After he was discharged, Ian wrote a letter to express his appreciation for the care he received. Below is an excerpt from that letter.

“I recently undertook some surgery at Seton Hays, including an overnight stay …. And I wish to put on record how very grateful I was for the exemplary care conducted by your nursing staff throughout my stay. This is not the first time I have had surgery, however, I was overwhelmed by the dedication and kindness given to me by everybody making sure that I was comfortable, assuring me in my anxiety and going out of their way to show me care and consideration…. They really did ‘go that extra mile’ on my behalf…. I would be grateful if you would convey my sincere appreciation and recognize their fine efforts on behalf of their patients.”

Providing quality care that helps to ensure patients are safe and secure and positively impacting families; Seton Medical Center Hays and its staff have a great deal in common with a very grateful patient and former “company doctor,” Ian Green.

“I’m very impressed with all of you here and plan on volunteering at Seton Hays – probably after Christmas. I believe you should give something back … especially to a hospital where they give so much.”

Ian's story is profiled in the current issue of Seton Hays Close Up.

Reach in ... I-Logic technology helps fight cancer

Discovering cancer in your lung or a swollen lymph node inside your chest has been difficult to do and isn’t always successful. Surgeons have used three different types of conventional diagnostic techniques over the past several decades with mixed results – until now.

Now in Hays County, a new technology is available that is both easier to do and proven to be more successful.

Before, the first option has been to do a surgical biopsy, which would often yield an answer. However, the surgery can be risky and painful.

The second traditional option has been to insert a needle through the chest wall into the lung using radiology pictures as a guide. This also has a reasonable chance of diagnosing the problem, but can cause a collapsed lung. Also, even if cancer is found by this technique, one still has to undergo additional procedures to diagnose the exact stage of cancer.

i-Logic

The third option often used is what’s called a conventional flexible bronchoscope. This is minimally invasive and low risk, but can only reach about one third of the nodules or lymp nodes which need to be diagnosed, yielding an answer just 33 percent of the time.

But now, Seton Medical Center Hays has new technology to improve the reach of a conventional bronchoscope. Using a small, steerable catheter inserted through the bronchoscope, a GPS-like system can navigate the catheter to a specific lung nodule or lymph node. According to its maker, this system yields a correct answer approximately 80 percent of the time.

The system, called i-Logic, allows physicians to locate small lung lesions for disagnosis and potential treatment. Basically, it enables a physician to seek out, diagnose and treat lung tumors in the far reaches of the lung that are inaccessible with traditional bronchoscopy.

The advantes of using the i-Logic include quicker diagnosis and treatment, little or no pain, no overnight stay, less costs and a lower risk of complications. For example, the chance of a collapsed lung with traditional needle biopsy is 20 to 30 percent, while it is just two percent using i-Logic. Another advantage is that once a cancer diagnosis is made, the stage of that cancer can be determined during the same procedure, eliminating the need for additional procedures.

The guide catheter, eqipped with a location sensor at its tip, is inserted through the mouth and throat. With 360-degree steering capability and an electromagnetic sensor tracking the position, the physician steers the catheter to a suspected lesion. Once a lesion is found, the location sensor is removed and the guide catheter provides a channel for either diagnositc or therapeutic tools.

The new technology is critical in diagnosing and treating lung cancer, the deadliest form of cancer for both men and women. A patient’s prospects for recovery from lung cancer are linked directly to what stage of cancer exists at the time of diagnosis. Detecting lung cancer in its early stages is critical, but difficult in many cases because the disease spreads very quickly and symptoms often don’t appear until the disease is advanced.

Currently, more than 75 percent of new lung cancer cases are diagnosed in late stages (Stage III or IV); in contrast, a recent study published by the New England Journal of Medicine determined that lung cancer diagnosed at Stage I resulted in a survival rate of 88 percent in 10 years. I-Logic provides the ability to detect lung disease and lung cancer even before symptoms are evident, enhancing treatment options for patients.

According to the American Cancer Society, 87 percent of lung cancer deaths can be attributed to past or present tobacco use. In recent years, an increasing number of lung cancers are found in the periphery of the lungs, a shift largely attributed to filtered cigarettes. Smokers must inhale more deeply to achieve the same amount of nicotine, sending the smoke into the far reaches of the lungs.

The i-Logic system is also an invaluable resource in treating lung masses already diagnosed as cancerous. Once i-Logic locates a cancerous mass, a physician can place radiosurgical markers in and around it. The markers help radiation oncologists better target radiation therapy, resulting in more focused treatment with less trauma to the normal lung tissue surrounding the lesion.

The technology also provides physicians with the ablity to place dye markers to enhance visual localization of a tumor to guide video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Small lung lesions are often not readily visible, making localization and removal nearly impossible. The i-Logic system allows the physician to mark lesions as small as 2 millimenters, making it easier to remove them.

The Seton Hays Society

The Seton Hays Society is a social networking group for those who share an interest in Seton Medical Center Hays and want to help raise awareness of and provide philanthropic support for its mission in Hays County. Through quarterly meetings, the Seton Society provides a forum for supporters to connect with each other, learn about the power of collective philanthropy, and broaden awareness of healthcare initiatives at Seton Medical Center Hays. The Society is committed to continued support through grassroots fundraising activities throughout the year.

We invite you to join hands in our efforts to keep Central Texas healthy and strong. As a part of the Seton Hays Society, you’ll meet new friends and have fun for a good cause!

Donate now to ensure you are a part of the first Seton Hays Society meeting at Seton Medical Center Hays.


Top


Next page: Our Mission