Ear, Nose and Throat Patient Stories

Patient stories about Ear, Nose and Throat

February 3, 2023

104 and Cancer Free

Marty Trieschmann

patient standing with her doctor

UAMS patient treated by James Suen, M.D., is one of the oldest living cancer survivors in Arkansas   A favorite pillow in Maddie Upton’s Camden, Arkansas, home reads, ‘I’m so far up the hill, I’ve started up the next one.’ At 104, there is no old age joke she hasn’t heard, and she shows no…


December 8, 2021

Fayetteville Man’s Life Improves Dramatically after Nasal Surgery at UAMS

Linda Satter

Stein Erik Peterson visits UAMS for a check-up after his surgery.

Stein Erik Peterson had no idea how good a boiled egg could taste. He had completely forgotten the heady, lemony aroma that filled his nostrils when he was a boy and his mother bustled around the house spraying the furniture with polish. He didn’t know it was possible to sleep so peacefully. But since undergoing…


July 30, 2021

Cochlear Implant Surgery Restores Hearing, Improves Marriage

Linda Satter

From left, Beverly Holloway, Patrick Holloway and audiologist Matthew Brown, Au. D., at Patrick's May 4 appointment.

After 26 years of marriage, Beverly Holloway still had a lot she wanted to discuss with her husband, Patrick. But despite him taking the initiative six years earlier to obtain hearing aids, they were both frustrated that the devices were no longer working, despite repeated adjustments. Here they were in their golden years, which are…


March 5, 2021

ENT Surgeon Reconstructs Man’s Face After Gun Explodes

Linda Satter

David Miller and his wife, Jennifer, 4 months after the accident

When 53-year-old David Miller of Beebe arrived at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) on the evening of Nov. 12 by Med Flight helicopter, the left side of his face was protruding several inches beyond the rest of his head. Hours earlier, he and a friend were in a pasture outside Newark preparing…


February 17, 2021

Pine Bluff Coach is Ready for the Ballpark Thanks to UAMS Surgeon

Katrina Dupins

Sebastian Stargell

As a former athlete who has had his share of injuries, Sebastian Stargell is no stranger to the world of health care. But there was something different about his encounter with UAMS otolaryngologist Alissa Kanaan, M.D. “She made me feel like I was family,” Stargell said. “Like she had known me for a while.” Stargell…


December 17, 2020

Diagnosis of Aspirin-induced Inflammation is Key to Persistent Sinus Blockage

Katrina Dupins

Cathy Christensen-

Cathy Christiansen, of Bald Knob, was hospitalized at least seven times in the early part of 2019 with severe respiratory infections. She had sinus surgery in July to clear her sinuses, but the problem persisted. By August, she was back in the hospital. Imaging showed her sinuses were completely blocked again. “My doctor wanted to…


July 27, 2020

San Francisco Woman Finds Help for Complex Surgery

Katrina Dupins

Bressie & Suen

Claudia Bressie’s tumor was non-cancerous, but it was aggressive and dangerous. Months of consultations at top universities and treatments proved ineffective for the San Francisco woman, until her journey brought her to UAMS. It began in 2017 when Bressie started having swelling, popping and clicking around her jaw. The discomfort grew from there to what…


February 1, 2019

First Act After Hearing Loss Surgery: Propose to Fiancé

ChaseYavondaC

Chad King playing the piano

“Yes” was the first word Chad King of Redfield wanted to hear when he got his cochlear implant. “On the day my implant was activated, I went home and proposed to her,” King said. “I wanted to be able to hear her say ‘yes’ to me.” King’s girlfriend, Jamie, did, indeed, agree to become his…


January 7, 2019

After Years of ‘No’ Elsewhere, Patient Finds Hope with James Suen, M.D.

ChaseYavondaC

Doctor with patient in hospital bed

Hailey Dougherty, 17, of Beverly Hills, California, remembers crying from constant pain she was too young to even understand. She didn’t know it yet, but blood vessels were growing out of control and pressing against her 8-year-old brain. “She would just cry from the time she got up until the time she went to bed,”…


September 20, 2018

UAMS Family Medicine Update Set for Oct. 25-27

Linda Haymes

The 22nd annual Family Medicine Update at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will offer continuing education for physicians, nurses and pharmacists Oct. 25-27, including a half-day emphasis on ear, nose and throat topics. A discounted early registration price of $330 for three days or $250 for two days is available through Oct….



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