Troy Theis

Troy was attending a father/son soccer camp with his son at St. Olaf College when he woke up to abdominal pain. It got worse throughout the night. Next morning, Troy went to the Emergency Department at Northfield Hospital. He was diagnosed with a ruptured colon due to diverticulitis.

“The situation became urgent quickly, and getting back to the city for surgery wasn’t an option,” says Troy, who lives in Minneapolis. “Within an hour of diagnosis, I was in the surgical room being prepped for a major surgery.”

The surgery saved Troy’s life.

“From the minute I walked into the ED I felt genuine care and concern from everyone from the nursing staff to the surgeon,” he says. “It was a fast and stressful day for me, and everyone empathized and did everything they could to reassure me and make me feel as comfortable as possible.”

Troy was hospitalized for 10 days after surgery. “I think I met nearly everyone on staff in that time,” he smiles.

“My team was exceptional. My surgeon was amazing and kept me in the loop as much as she could while humoring me by laughing at my nervous jokes. My nurses were my everything while recovering. Venessa Rinaldi, Sami, and a long list of others made an incredibly difficult situation manageable – and even enjoyable at times.”

When Troy needed follow up care, he chose to come back to Northfield Hospital. “Once the emergent nature of the initial surgery had passed, I could have gone to hospitals near my home for follow up care, but I didn’t even consider it,” he says. “The team I had in Northfield was my team, and I didn’t want anyone else.”

Altogether, Troy needed three surgeries over several months. “It’s been a long year, but after three successful surgeries, I am nearly back to 100%,” he says.

“This was my first major surgery of any kind, and I can’t imagine a better outcome. Northfield wasn’t the closest hospital for me, but I felt it provided a level of personal attention that I would not have received closer to the city,” Troy explains. “My needs were always met in a caring manner, not just someone checking off the list, but actually looking me in the eye to see how I was doing.”

His team cared for his family, too. “When you’re a hospital for that duration, it’s important that your family feel supported and in the loop as well. My family felt they had all the support they could hope for from my care team.”

Troy’s advice for others who feel a new pain: “If it’s something you’ve never felt before, go get it checked out soon than later! If you do need surgery, I cannot recommend Northfield Hospital highly enough. The distance from the city was an asset to me, not a liability.”  

Troy remains grateful, and fond of his care team. “I was at my most vulnerable with these people that I had only met hours and days before, and suddenly they had become close friends who would give the shirt off their back to make sure I was ok,” he says.

“I can’t thank these people enough, and I hope they appreciate the impact they have on me and all the patients that come through that door.”