Heather Fiorentino and Family Provide the Following Powerful Testimony on Behalf of Dr. Arno Fried and ANA

“Dr. Fried’s miraculous hands have left our beautiful little girl with no neurological deficits. To look at her now, you would never know she had even endured all that she has.”

I am so honored to be able to share with you my seven-year-old daughter– Gabriella’s– incredible, miraculous journey, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Arno Fried. On October 26, 2009, our lives were changed forever… especially Gabriella’s. Gabriella had complained about headaches from time to time for a period of a year and a half. We were referred to a pediatric neurologist, who told us she needed to get a blood work-up and an MRI. On October 26, we took Gabriella for an MRI, and it was then that began every family’s nightmare—we were told that our beautiful, vivacious three-year-old daughter had a JPA brain tumor that needed to be remove d immediately. It was an emergency situation because the tumor was the size of a tangerine, and it was compressing the cerebellum 90% and was also twisting the brain stem. It was a grave situation because the tumor was so large it was creating hydrocephalus, and Gabriella had an extreme amount of pressure in her little head.

You could never imagine the horror we felt for our baby girl. Our hearts were broken for her. How do you put your child’s life in a stranger’s hands? I’m the type of person that thoroughly researches everything, but I didn’t have that opportunity. My sister said it perfectly when I asked her to look up the doctor’s credentials. She said “Heather, God put Gabriella where she is supposed to be. Just have faith and believe she will be ok.” Thank God, Dr. Arno Fried was on the team that helped Gabriella, for if it wasn’t for him and his wonderful hands that worked a miracle–our little angel would not be here today.

Our little angel had to endure several operations—the resection of the tumor, a VP shunt* implantation, two MRSA** clean-out surgeries, and a scalp rotation because she didn’t heal correctly from the surgery because of the staph infection. Dr. Fried’s miraculous hands have left our beautiful little girl with no neurological deficits. To look at her now, you would never know she had even endured all that she has. Our thanks, especially Gabriella’s, is for Dr. Fried’s finesse and relentless pursuit for perfection.

Gabriella contracted MRSA, a deadly infection. Dr. Fried’s diligence and expertise helped to heal Gabriella completely of this infection, all the while comforting us and always making time to answer all of my questions, listening, and knowing how terrified we were of the dire situation that our daughter was in. I can honestly say that Dr. Fried became the one constant in our lives that we were able to depend on to be there 24/7 for our daughter and for us. He knew how desperate we were to cure our baby and he did just that and then some. God placed him in our lives and we are forever grateful, for without this wonderful doctor, I don’t know where our lives (or my daughter’s life) would be right now.

There are few doctors that you will ever meet like Dr. Fried, for he is truly a remarkable person. He possesses such wonderful bedside manner that comforted my daughter as well as the rest of my family through a horrific ordeal. We thank God for the relentless efforts of Dr. Fried every day, for he helped her, through it all, to continue to smile her beautiful smile and never lose that twinkle in her eye!

Dr. Fried is “our hero”… the “wind beneath our wings”… he is a true angel here on earth! I am so honored to be given this opportunity to personally thank him so very much from the bottom of my heart for all of the miracles he extended to my daughter. Dr. Fried was one of the first rays of sunshine for us in a string of extremely dark days. He completely alleviated the burden and countless worries of the entire situation that our beautiful angel would be scarred neurologically forever. From the day she awoke from her first of many surgeries to this day, she is perfect. For that, and for so much more, we are forever grateful and indebted to him.

God truly blessed us by sending Dr. Fried into our lives, and he and his colleagues are truly wonderful people to be so selfless in all that they do. It is beyond words. I pray everyday that God bless him and his colleagues many times over. What Dr. Fried has done for Gabriella, and ultimately for us as a family, means more than one could ever fathom. We are ever so thankful…

God bless you always, and again… Thank you, Dr. Fried, so, so, so, so much!

Sincerely,
Heather Fiorentino, Robert Fiorentino, Daniella Renae Fiorentino, Gabriella Ashleigh Fiorentino, and Antonio Kenneth Fiorentino

*A ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is a device used to relieve pressure from the brain caused by fluid accumulation.

**Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is caused by a strain of staph bacteria that has become resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary staph infections. Most MRSA infections occur in people who have been in hospitals or other health care settings. When it occurs in these settings, it’s known as health care-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA). HA-MRSA infections typically are associated with invasive procedures or devices, such as surgeries, intravenous tubing or artificial joints. (Mayo Clinic)