Embraced by Care: Joan and Joe Seivold’s Story
“I felt embraced.”
April 9th started out as a perfectly normal morning for Joan Seivold and her husband Joseph. They started the day with their usual workout and then Joe headed to his office.
When Joe collapsed later in the day, he insisted he didn’t need to go to the hospital; fortunately, he changed his mind and agreed to get checked out. Although Joan was concerned, she knew her husband had just started intermittent fasting and assumed that was the culprit. He had always been focused on taking care of himself and had recently gotten a clean bill of health.
But when she got to St. Joseph’s Hospital, she was shocked to learn Joe had a ruptured brain aneurysm and it was threatening his life. He needed immediate and very specific care.
Joan was understandably concerned but felt reassured by the doctors and nurses. It was a serious situation, but it was clear to her they knew exactly what had to be done.
The complexity of the aneurysm required hours-long surgery, demanding the expertise of both of our neurosurgical and interventional radiology teams led by Dr. Juan Valdivia-Valdivia and Dr. Kevin Murtagh. Although successful, it was just the first of several procedures and the beginning of a long and challenging road ahead. Joe spent 45 days in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph’s, where he received round-the-clock care from a team of experts dedicated to his recovery.
Prior to Joe’s surgery, Joan didn’t know much about St. Joseph’s Hospitals. As she spoke with more people—even friends from other states—it became increasingly clear that what she was already witnessing firsthand was true: Joe was in the right place, receiving the highest quality care possible. And so was she.
Joan felt embraced from day one. They weren’t simply caring for Joe, they were caring for her as well. She had always pictured hospitals as cold, impersonal places, but at St. Joseph’s she found warmth and unwavering support.
“I was spending most of my time at the hospital. It became my sanctuary. As I got to know the various team members I realized so many of them have been at St. Joseph’s for years, decades even. That said something to me. And when I asked them why, they told me it was because of the sense of community at St. Joseph’s.”
While Joan was doing everything she could to help Joe navigate his way through some extremely difficult days, St. Joseph’s did everything they could to help Joan navigate them as well.
Joan was equally impressed with the expert clinical care her husband received. She recalls speaking to his neurosurgeon, Dr. Juan Valdivia-Valdivia, early on and asking if he’d be open to consulting with other specialists if she felt it was something she wanted to do.
“He said ‘absolutely, I’ll talk to anyone.’ No ego. No feeling like he was being second guessed. He immediately put me at ease. It was clear his only priority was getting Joe better. That was all I needed to know.”
Joan didn’t know it at the time, but when her husband arrived at St. Joseph’s he was placed in the skilled hands of a neurosurgery team that manages the most traumatic brain injuries throughout the entire BayCare system.
As the Chief of Neurosurgery, Dr. Valdivia is proud of the fact that his department was the first neurosurgery service in BayCare to use 3-D endoscopy for brain surgery, the first to use intraoperative MRI for brain surgery, and the first to use LITT – laser, interstitial, thermal therapy for brain tumor surgery. They are ready and prepared to care for the most complex and compromised patients.
While leading a department driven by expertise and innovation, Dr. Valdivia-Valdivia is equally recognized for his guiding philosophy of “care that never stops.” He explains, “Caring for a patient doesn’t end when they leave the hospital. You must continue to support them at home and treat them like family.”
Joan truly appreciated that approach, especially since there was always so much going on and lots of information to keep track of. Throughout Joe’s recovery and additional procedures Dr. Valdivia-Valdivia would consistently touch base to make sure she was feeling comfortable with everything that was going on. That meant a lot to her, especially when Joe was moved to a prestigious rehab facility in another state (which has an affiliation with BayCare).
“Dr. Valdivia-Valdivia made it clear that I could communicate with him directly at any time. It was such a relief, and I definitely took him up on that and he never faltered in making himself available.”
Now, over four months later, Joe is slowly getting back to himself. Though it took over a month for him to speak after his first surgery, his sense of humor and practicality were evident.
“I asked him if he remembered where we met,” explains Joan.
His response? ‘Joan! We have a lifetime to talk about that; there are more important things to discuss!’
Right then and there Joan knew her Joe was on his way back. And in the days since she has felt strongly about paying it forward as a way of thanking St. Joseph’s for all they have done and continue to do.
“You never think something like this is going to happen to you or someone you love. When I found out August is Neurosurgery Awareness Month, I wanted to share our story so others would know about the incredible care available right here at St. Joseph’s. I could not be more grateful.”
