System Provides Advanced Neurological Care Close to Home
Bonny Boice’s family suspected something was wrong when the 68-year-old retired executive coach and avid skier kept falling on a family trip to the ski slopes. Unexpected weight gain and other worrisome symptoms led them to encourage her to seek emergency care. Boice was diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma, a benign tumor that sits at the base of the brain. What followed was a complex medical journey that required a sophisticated, multi-disciplinary approach.
“I feel so fortunate to have gone to Albany Medical Center where there is a team that knows how to perform this surgery,” said Boice, of Charlton. The team, led by Jordon Grube, DO, and Robert Heller, MD, worked together to perform a highly specialized procedure to remove the tumor endonasally, through Boice’s nose, avoiding open brain surgery, and resulting in
a faster recovery.
Months later, she’s recovering through a seamless network of care: physical and occupational therapy with Saratoga Hospital, and follow-up visits with Dr. Heller at his Clifton Park office. She also appreciates the convenience of MyChart, the patient portal that connects her with specialists throughout the System so she can easily coordinate her appointments, referrals, and records while she continues her recovery.
First Choice in Action - Another Patient Perspective
Since his December diagnosis of advanced brain cancer, John Klassen’s health care team has extended from his primary care physician in the Hudson Valley to neurology and neurosurgery at Albany Medical Center to physical therapy and follow-up care at Columbia Memorial Health. When he was hospitalized with a severe case of the flu in mid-February, his care team made sure he didn’t miss a single radiation treatment.
“Everyone being on the same page immediately gave me a sense that this was going to be a well-led team and that, while I might face some bumps in the road, they all had my back,” said Klassen, who appreciated timely updates posted in his MyChart account that not only kept him informed about his own care but were readily available to everyone involved with his health, from Hudson to Albany.
Tradition of Excellence in the Neurosciences
From the most complex surgeries for brain tumors, to the latest technology to identify and treat stroke, to groundbreaking research on Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, the System is renowned for offering some of the most advanced neurological and minimally invasive procedures available.
Neurosurgical expertise: endovascular stroke care, pediatric neurosurgery, functional neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, trauma neurosurgery, cranial base surgery, spine surgery Neurological expertise: epilepsy, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), neuropathy, pain management, multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular diseases, dementias and neurodegenerative disorders
The System includes:
• A DNV-certified Comprehensive Stroke Center
• Two Centers of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease
• A Huntington’s Disease Society of America Level 2 Center of Excellence
• A National Association of Epilepsy Centers Level 4 Center