Thank You, Dr. Garofalo

If anyone has a severe wound that could result in an amputation, I urge him or her to see Dr. Sal Garofalo at the Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital Wound Center. After a sore on the bottom of my heel developed into a wound covering the entire heel and going all the way to the bone, three doctors advised me to have a below-the-knee amputation. Dr. Sal, however, said he could save my leg — and he did.

It took a lot of patience, but Dr. Sal checked my heel weekly, told me to eat a high protein diet, and prescribed all the necessary treatment and care. I am sure this is not uncommon for Dr. Sal, and I thank him and his staff from the bottom of my heel.

Thanks also to Dr. Edward Li, a vascular surgeon who concurred with Dr. Garofalo and would not give up on my leg. He made sure my heel got the blood flow that it needed to get better.

Finally, the extremely competent and wonderfully caring personnel at ValleVerde Health Center deserve my undying thanks as well. It’s called a skilled nursing facility, but the nurses, aides, and therapists there are much more. I never knew so many nice people existed in one place.

Santa Barbara is fortunate indeed to have this trio of medical professionals.