Dylan Foreman was scraping snow off the roof of his Durango home last winter when suddenly, he fell ten feet off his ladder and landed on his head. Dazed but still conscious, he decided to go to urgent care to make sure everything was ok. He got the all clear to return home, but still had a pounding headache the next day and felt like he wasn’t getting better. His wife Christy knew something wasn’t right and convinced Dylan to go to the emergency room.
“He was in a lot of pain. I knew something wasn’t right,” Christy said. “I advocated for him and pleaded for some sort of scan, I just knew he was not himself. They did a cat scan, came in and said he had bleeding on his brain.”
Dylan’s situation had just turned into a life-threatening emergency and he needed a neurosurgeon immediately. He was taken by ambulance to San Juan Regional Medical Center, home to the region’s only neurosurgeons.
“We were surprised we were able to go to Farmington, a short 45 minutes away,” Dylan said. “I wasn’t aware there were neurosurgeons there at all. I thought for sure I was headed to Albuquerque, Grand Junction or Denver. I thought I’d be away from my family.”
“We never knew after such a severe injury like this that we would have the option to stay so close to home. Being so close to a Level III hospital for neurosurgical care is huge in this area, huge,” Christy said.
After being admitted to the ICU, the Foremans met with Dr. Dominic Cannella.
“When we were transported from Durango to Farmington that was a scary time,” Christy said. “We really didn’t know what was happening. We needed to see an expert and the second he came in we knew he had it dialed in.”
With his knowledge and expertise as well as his compassionate caring manner, the Foremans knew they were in the right hands. While the hope was that Dylan’s hematoma would dissipate on its own, that didn’t happen. Dylan would need brain surgery. The morning of surgery, Dr. Cannella went over his plan with the family, keeping them updated on what was going to happen.
“He was amazing. He was telling us how he was thinking about it that previous night and how he was really methodical about where the incision was going,” Christy said.
“He went in right behind the hairline. There’s not a big scar. He was able to disguise it and keep it hidden,” Dylan added.
“The surgery consisted of making an opening in his skull to allow this blood to drain out and then we put everything back together again. It’s a surgery that we frequently perform at San Juan Regional Medical Center, and in this case, he’s made an outstanding recovery,” Dr. Cannella said.
During that recovery, the family was in constant contact with Dr. Cannella. “He checked on Dylan several times a day in the hospital. Not only that, he spent quality time with us. I had a ton of questions and I was exhausted too and he was very patient with me. He really did everything he could to communicate what happened. Every time I saw him it was a huge relief because he would just ease my mind. He’s very straightforward but also very caring,” Christy said.
“He had a true passion for what he was doing and he did it very well,” Dylan said.
After surgery, Dylan returned home and spent several weeks resting. He traveled between Durango and Farmington for several follow up appointments with Dr. Cannella at San Juan Regional Spine Center.
“It was really nice that we were so close. We could get to Dr. Cannella and not have to worry about our three children,” Christy said. “He is a brilliant man and he has excelled at everything he has done.”
Dylan is now back to normal, and aside from a small, well-hidden scar, you’d never even know what he’s been through.
“Fortunately he’s made a complete recovery. He’s back at home with his wife and children, back performing his job again and doing very well,” Dr. Cannella said. “I’m very happy to see how well he’s doing.”
The family is so grateful for the care they received from everyone at San Juan Regional Medical Center, and truly feels lucky that Dr. Cannella was there when they needed him most.
“We know that he knows what he’s doing – he’s a brain surgeon and he’s brilliant – but that extra level of care, that bedside manner really made a difference,” Christy said. “He came in on a holiday just to see how Dylan was doing. He just went above and beyond for us. We are forever thankful and grateful that we have him in this area.”
“It was a very humbling experience,” Dylan said. “I feel blessed to be here.”
San Juan Regional Spine Center Neurosurgeons Dr. Dominic Cannella and Dr. Paul Davis are now seeing patients in Farmington and Durango. For an appointment please call 505.609.6595.