With the help of dedicated Mount Sinai staff—including a creative and calm occupational therapist—patient Meaghan Onofrey has made a smooth transition to life after a stroke.

On December 13, 2019, 40-year-old Meaghan was out for a run in Riverside Park. She remembers needing to suddenly stop, but after that, she has no recollection of the events that took place. According to her husband, Nick, she had collapsed and crawled to a bench, and a passerby called 911. Meaghan was taken in an ambulance to Mount Sinai Morningside, where it was discovered that she was having a stroke. She was transferred to The Mount Sinai Hospital, where she underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her brain.

Meaghan spent four months at Mount Sinai, initially in the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit and then in Rehabilitation. Meaghan and Nick praise the medical and rehabilitation teams for their skilled and compassionate work, but have special words of appreciation for the care provided by Occupational Therapy Rehabilitation Specialist Andrea Johnston. Meaghan and Nick laughingly say that Andrea “adopted” them, taking them under her wing, especially during Meaghan’s transition to home, which happened earlier than expected when the Rehabilitation Unit was converted into a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit.

“Andrea went above and beyond,” Meaghan says. “She made sure we had every piece of equipment we needed for home care and Meaghan’s activities of daily living,” adds Nick.  “She came to our house and did a walk-through so we had guidance on how to adapt our environment to align with Meaghan’s needs. She even trained me on how to change Meaghan’s tracheotomy tube, a scary endeavor, to be honest.” Meaghan and Nick speak with one voice when they say Andrea “humanizes people.” “And nothing rattles her, she is Zen-like and is such a calming presence,” Meaghan says. “We joke that we are ‘summoning our inner Andrea.'”

Debra Zeitlin, Rehabilitation Manager at The Mount Sinai Hospital, concurs with Meaghan’s and Nick’s praise.  “Andrea is an amazing occupational therapist. She is very empathetic and goes the extra mile  for her patients. For example she completes community re-entry with her patients and re-orients them to their environment, which makes discharge and the return to home much more soothing for patients.  She is extremely creative in her work and provides great guidance and ideas to her whole team. She is a great mentor to newly graduated occupational therapists. The thing I admire the most about her: She always gives more than 100 percent and is very consistent in her work and embodies all of Mount Sinai’s core values.”

From right: Georgios Syros, MD, Director of Arrhythmia Services at Mount Sinai Queens; Tiffany Vargas, Clinical Program Director; and Amelia Pylarinos, Patient Coordinator.

I wanted to share with you that my father passed away August 16, 2020.  He was 90 years old. We were able to celebrate his 90th birthday in January of this year because of the care he received from all the staff at Mount Sinai Queens in 2018 and until his death.

Primary care physician Rolando Borges, MD, was not only always there for my father but he was always there for me and my entire family every step of the way. His dedication, patience, persistence, and concern were present at every encounter. He always listened, and he always informed us of what was going on. He kept us abreast of every decision and every development. He treated my father as if he were his own, and for that I can’t begin to express my gratitude. He is now my mother’s primary care physician, and I know that he will always guide us the right way with her care, too. He is also my doctor and my husband’s doctor. When my children turned 18, he became their primary care physician, too.

Another member of your team who I would like to express gratitude for is Georgios Syros, MD, Director of Arrhythmia Services at Mount Sinai Queens.  He was my father’s cardiologist. His honesty, his dedication, and his constant concern were always evident. He never failed to respond to a question, call, or email, and that is something I will never forget. It doesn’t stop there. He is the cardiologist for every member of my family.

I also want to share with you how much hematologist Howard Greenberg, MD, Director of the Infusion Center, helped my dad live a longer life. My father was dealing with a host of issues, one of which was multiple myeloma. It was because of Dr. Greenberg’s care that my father lived as long as he did. Not only did he care for him when he was alive, but when he found out my father had passed, Dr. Greenberg called me to extend his condolences. He expressed to me what kind of fighter my dad was and how we were fortunate to have had him with us for as long as we did. He showed me that he knew my dad as a human being, not just a patient. His words were exactly what I needed to hear the day after my dad passed. I will never forget his compassion.

Clinical Program Director Tiffany Vargas is someone who I will always remember with great fondness. Ms. Vargas went out of her way to make sure that my dad was always greeted with patience and respect. She always made him feel as if he mattered by asking him questions and making him feel happy even during his saddest moments. Her help allowed him to live as long as he did so that we were able to share more memories with my father. Her constant smile always made him feel better, and that’s all that mattered to me.

Patient Coordinator Amelia Pylarinos, who was at the desk on the fifth floor when we went to see Dr. Syros or Ms. Vargas, was always helpful. She greeted my dad with a smile, spoke to him in Greek and got him his oxygen tank as soon as he got there. My dad had become used to seeing her there, and that made him feel at ease. That is something on which no one can place a value.

Eternally grateful to Dr. Borges, Dr. Syros, Dr. Greenberg, Tiffany Vargas, and Amelia Pylarinos. I know that you have a great team, but I was lucky enough to have met them first-hand during scary times, which they helped make less scary. They made me feel secure and calm. More important, they made my dad feel the same way.

With respect and appreciation,

Anastasia Economopoulos

Anthony Parrizzi , left, and Stephen Johnstone, MD

Caryn Schwab, Executive Director, Mount Sinai Queens, receives letters from grateful patients on a regular basis, and they are a source of pride. But the letter she received from Anthony Parrizzi stands out. Anthony’s letter overflowed with expressions of appreciation and praise for his Mount Sinai Queens (MSQ) care providers, telling of his “most outstanding experience” from start to finish, as both an inpatient and outpatient.

Shortly after an accident at home that left him with a ruptured patella tendon, Anthony arrived at the Emergency Department at MSQ. Orthopedic specialist Stephen Johnstone, MD, first called him while he was in the ED and then examined him a little later. “Dr. Johnstone informed me what to expect in a very caring manner, both in person and on the phone call,” Anthony says. “His explanations then and throughout my recovery have helped so much, not just with my physical recuperation, but psychologically as well.”

Surgery was indicated, but first Anthony needed to take a COVID test. Once he was advised of a negative result, Anthony underwent surgery on July 2. “After seeing the safety measures firsthand at the hospital, not for a minute did I feel vulnerable to contracting the virus,” he says.

Anthony cannot say enough about his surgical team. “Nurses, staff, really all involved, reassured me that my case and my injury were a top priority. They were constantly engaged with me; always making sure I was comfortable and my pain was managed accordingly. It was a perfectly coordinated dance.” He cites the “professionalism and attentiveness” of Bryan Iglesias, BSN, Raul Dy, RN, and nurse’s aide Enis Thaqi in the post-operative unit; and Patrick Johnson, MD, and Joy Byun, RN, as sources of comfort and compassion in anesthesiology. And others, too, he says, “I just can’t recall all the names.” With respect to Dr. Johnstone, Anthony adds, “His level of professionalism goes beyond words, for sure.”

Last, he says, is the “wonderful culture” at Mount Sinai Queens. “No one hesitates to help, even if it is not his or her job. Everyone is so positive, the camaraderie among the staff is evident, as is the love and respect for the doctors.”