Surgery

-- Eron Ben-Yehuda HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Mayor Dave Garofalo underwent heart bypass surgery Wednesday, a family member said. The four-hour operation at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center was performed after tests revealed a clogged blood vessel causing a slight flux in his heart rhythm, son Kevin Garofalo said. The 53-year-old Garofalo, who has a history of heart problems, realized for months that the surgery might be necessary, his son said.

Eron Ben-Yehuda Marilyn Lord remembers her neighbors Kenneth and Carolyn as a kind, hard-working couple. She had a bubbly personality. He was more reserved. "I keep expecting to see them driving up, but I know that they're not," Lord said. "It's just sad, beyond sad." Kenneth C. Stahl and Carolyn Oppy-Stahl were found shot dead Saturday night in their car parked along Ortega Highway, about nine miles east of San Juan Capistrano, said Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.

Angelique Flores It wasn't the first time Dr. Ram Mudiyam received a gift for performing a successful surgery. Sometimes patients bring him cards or cookies. But when Tien Lu gave him a 24-karat gold plaque during a routine follow-up visit, the Fountain Valley orthopedic spine surgeon was surprised. "It's quite impressive," Mudiyam said. Mudiyam performed an eight-hour lumbar surgery on Lu in December, removing some of Lu's spine. "Only four days after the surgery, I could move my toes again," Lu said.

Mike Sciacca Kevin Wyart can't wait to go on the ski trip he has planned with his son for January, now that he'll be hitting the slopes 75 pounds lighter than he's been in 10 years. The 42-year-old Lake Forest resident said that at 269 pounds, he couldn't do many activities he once enjoyed, including skiing. But the mortgage and real estate company owner says he got a new lease on life last April when he had advanced bariatric surgery using the new weight loss device called the Lap-Band.

Andrew Wainer Huntington Beach eighth-grader Megan Pulfer is back. Almost seven months after doctors at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital patched a 2-centimeter hole in her heart, Megan acted and danced in a performance of "The Nutcracker" last weekend. The play was presented by Ballet Etudes, a Huntington Beach youth ballet company. Last January doctors diagnosed Megan with three separate heart conditions, but both Megan and her mother Cindy say the operation has been a great help.

Jenny Marder Two Huntington Beach salesman were arrested Friday on suspicion of overbilling county hospitals as much as $3.5 million for spinal implant products. Jason Koenig, 33 and Mark A. Crane, 45, were charged with mail fraud for falsely claiming to have sold millions of dollars for products supplied by medical firm Depuy Acromed Inc., a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that makes and sells orthopedic products. From February 2000 to October 2002, Koenig and Crane sold high-tech devices used for back surgeries to 15 Orange County hospitals.

MICHELE MARR I remember when I was a child hearing adults speak of "blessings in disguise," and thanking God "for all small favors." Most of God's so-called small favors -- safe travel or a lost wallet found for instance -- seemed huge to me, though. And I couldn't fathom at the time what kind of disguise a blessing might choose to wear. The older I grow the larger still the smallest of God's favors appears to me but I've come to grasp just how well disguised a blessing can be. For the past eight days, with Thanksgiving approaching, I have spent nearly every waking hour in Hoag Hospital where my mother is recovering from what her surgeon called "coronary artery bypass surgery times six."

Elvis Elvis is a 2-year-old neutered Labrador/Shepard/Hound. He is all black with warm brown eyes. Elvis is a very big guy but he doesn't know it. He thinks he's a lap dog and tries to crawl up into your lap -- too bad only his front legs and head will fit. Elvis is very playful, and has a Santa bear he carries around and sleeps with. Elvis has been in foster care because he recently had surgery on his back legs. He is fine now and ready to find a home.

Ocean View High School sophomore Erik Arrincon fractured his neck in a basketball tournament in San Diego Sunday. The 15-year-old underwent one surgery Sunday and another Wednesday and doctors now think he will make a full recovery, said Susan Munro, Erik’s mother. “Erik is a miracle,” Munro said. “The doctor’s said 99 % of people [with the same injury] would not walk again.” Immediately after the accident, Erik was taken to the UC San Diego Medical Center where he has been in Intensive Care.

Michele Marr "And in the evening, when I lie in bed and end my prayers with the words, 'I thank you, God, for all that is good and clear and beautiful,' I am filled with joy. . . . I don't think then of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains. . . ." -- Anne Frank A few days ago, after a doctor's appointment at Newport Center, I took Marguerite Avenue in Corona del Mar down to the Pacific Coast Highway. I began my descent at the crest of the Harbor View Hills.

It seemed like a regular day. Kaitlyn Dobrow, 18, woke up in time for her eight-hour shift as a receptionist at the Days Inn & Suites of Huntington Beach. She worked from 3 to 11 p.m. until her best friend, Kristen Kidd, gave her a ride to the gym, where they exercised together. Back home about 1 a.m., she texted Kidd, "I just puked my guts out and my joints hurt so bad. " She arose between 9 and 9:30 a.m. Feb. 12, with complaints of a headache and body pain, but Advil provided no relief.

In September of 1976 my mother was in the hospital for a mastectomy. Her long bout with cancer had methodically progressed so that surgery was the only answer. I cannot recall a time when I saw my mother so tired, afraid and depressed. It is at these times when you hope, but realize there is not enough candy or flowers in the world to take your mind off the fact that you are about to lose part of your body and maybe your life. If only there was something I could do for her. My mom had always been a big movie fan and John Wayne was one of her all-time favorites.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Fish and Game said her group will likely amend a restoration plan for the Bolsa Chica mesa after a state commission's staff criticized the project. Karen Miner, a DFG land program supervisor, said her group plans to enter discussions soon with the California Coastal Commission's staff to address some of its concerns about CPR, or Community Promoted Restoration, for the Mesa. If DFG makes any changes, Miner said, they will likely be reductions or minor revisions, but probably won't add anything.

A 15-year-old Ocean View High School student who fractured his neck during a basketball tournament in San Diego is expected to make a full recovery. Erik Arrincon fractured his neck about 10 minutes into a game Oct. 11. Erik underwent two surgeries before he was moved out of intensive care. The sophomore was transferred to Long Beach Memorial’s Miller Children’s Hospital for rehabilitation Tuesday, said Susan Munro, Erik’s mother. “Erik is a miracle,” Munro said.

Ocean View High School sophomore Erik Arrincon fractured his neck in a basketball tournament in San Diego Sunday. The 15-year-old underwent one surgery Sunday and another Wednesday and doctors now think he will make a full recovery, said Susan Munro, Erik’s mother. “Erik is a miracle,” Munro said. “The doctor’s said 99 % of people [with the same injury] would not walk again.” Immediately after the accident, Erik was taken to the UC San Diego Medical Center where he has been in Intensive Care.

Visitors clutched glasses of wine Friday as they walked in and out of hallways, stopping to peek in rooms on a behind-the-scenes tour of the new Talbert Surgical Associates facility in Huntington Beach. Doctors, community members and residents viewed the state-of-the-art surgery rooms, went through the pre- and post-operation areas and even had a look in the doctors’ locker rooms in between stops to tables laden with mini-hors d’oeuvres at the grand opening ceremony.

Oakland Athletics first baseman Daric Barton, a Marina High product, made his spring training debut Sunday in a game against Arizona. Barton, playing as designated hitter, was hitless in a pair of at-bats. Barton missed the team?s first couple of spring training games, as A?s manager Bob Geren told the San Francisco Chronicle that Barton was trying to catch up on his conditioning following October hip surgery. Barton, 23, played in 140 games for Oakland last season. He batted .226 with nine homers and 47 runs batted in. His position on the team, however, was called into question as the A?

As Edison prepared this week to play the first of several upcoming showdowns on its 2007 football schedule, one burning question needed to be answered: Who will start at quarterback Friday? Whoever gets the nod will have to be at his best as Servite comes to town for a key county clash between CIF Pac-5 Division top 10 teams. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Orange Coast College. “We have three days to figure that out,” Edison Coach Dave White said Monday, of his quarterbacking dilemma.

Mike Sciacca If you didn't know Mike Verlich prior to 2005, you'd never know he had physically undergone a major transformation at the end of last year. The Huntington Beach resident, 38, became a "new" person in August when he became a participant on the ABC's "Extreme Makeover." Verlich, who is a member of the Los Angeles Sheriffs Dept. Motor Detail, had 11 procedures performed and was featured on the show's first national broadcast of the new year on Jan. 6. Despite the numerous surgical procedures he went through during a 10 1/2 hour operation on Friday, Aug. 13, the changes in his appearance seem subtle when you meet him. The outcome for Verlich, however, went well beyond any surgery.

Elvis Elvis is a 2-year-old neutered Labrador/Shepard/Hound. He is all black with warm brown eyes. Elvis is a very big guy but he doesn't know it. He thinks he's a lap dog and tries to crawl up into your lap -- too bad only his front legs and head will fit. Elvis is very playful, and has a Santa bear he carries around and sleeps with. Elvis has been in foster care because he recently had surgery on his back legs. He is fine now and ready to find a home.