Grateful patients, supporters want others to experience Cleveland Clinic
Janice and Martin Stoneman support Cleveland Clinic because of the extraordinary care they received from the institution and for their respect of its innovations in healthcare. They’ve become official advocates for Cleveland Clinic, and, for many of their friends and business colleagues, the key to unlocking the door to its innovative, patient-centered care.
Mrs. Stoneman’s support for Cleveland Clinic dates back nearly 30 years when she started to donate $100 to the late David Gordon Jagelman, MD, then Chairman of the Department of Colorectal Surgery.
“He changed my life,” she says.
During high school, Mrs. Stoneman was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammation of the tissue lining the large intestine. She was hospitalized continuously for 5 months, including high doses of steroid treatments, which grossly distorted her face and body and affected her personality. Her dress size increased from 0 to 14, and she was unrecognizable to even her closest friends. She became reclusive and depressed.
Mrs. Stoneman spent most of her 20’s on steroids, in and out of hospitals, trying to get well.
“I lost more than a decade of my life.” Mrs. Stoneman says.
Mrs. Stoneman’s efforts included a 10-week hospitalization in Chicago where she was tube fed through her chest. During that hospitalization, she developed multiple pulmonary emboli, a potentially life threatening condition.
As a result, she was told by her doctors in Chicago and Michigan that she had no other option but to have a colostomy, a procedure by which an opening is created in the abdomen through which waste can be collected into an attached bag.
New Life
Mrs. Stoneman was determined to find a different treatment. From her hospital bed in Chicago, she contacted Dr. Jagelman at Cleveland Clinic, who, at the time, was using a staple gun to connect the ileum (small intestine) to the rectum after removing the colon, thereby avoiding a colostomy.
After contacting Dr. Jagelman, Mrs. Stoneman, at age 31, underwent successful surgery at Cleveland Clinic and regained her quality of life.
“I was astonished to learn that this surgery was being done at the Cleveland Clinic long before my initial hospitalization at age 16,” Mrs. Stoneman says.
She says she could have avoided a decade wrought with physical and emotional anguish had she thought to contact Cleveland Clinic from the beginning.
“Following my surgery by Dr. Jagelman, I could see the future ahead of me,” Mrs. Stoneman says.
Before the surgery, she says her future seemed bleak. Two years after surgery, however, Mrs. Stoneman married and later had a daughter. Now she is traveling the world with her husband and enjoys the simple pleasures of life that she was robbed of during her 20s.
Heartfelt Support
The Stoneman’s have donated more than $100,000 to colorectal surgery research and education, as well as other areas in need of support.
“In a very small way, we’re partnering with the innovative work developed at Cleveland Clinic. We think it’s an excellent use of our money and are happy to be a part of the effort,” Mrs. Stoneman says.
Ambassadors for Cleveland Clinic
Mr. and Mrs. Stoneman also are promoting and helping to advance the institute’s innovative work as active members of the Digestive Disease Institute Leadership Board, which raises awareness and helps to facilitate funding for digestive disease research.
As they had been already unofficially promoting Cleveland Clinic to their friends and family, the Stonemans say they were more than happy to join. They say the leadership board helped legitimize what they already were doing.
“When you feel connected, you feel a part of the institution. We have a vested interest in the goals and successes of Cleveland Clinic,” Mrs. Stoneman says.
Making Introductions
When the couple shares their positive experiences, they also tell people that when selecting physicians and hospitals “there’s good reason to look outside your local box and see that there’s a real difference.”
To support their claim, Mr. and Mrs. Stoneman, along with 2 other couples, recently co-hosted an event near their hometown of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan for more than 100 of their friends and business associates for a unique introduction to Cleveland Clinic and Today’s Innovations, Tomorrow’s Healthcare: Campaign for Cleveland Clinic.
“While our friends and associates recognize Cleveland Clinic’s extraordinary reputation, we try to emphasize the importance of being proactive, and first of coming here on the ‘take off’ of their healthcare treatment instead of waiting until they feel they're about to experience a ‘crash landing’,” Mr. Stoneman says.
To make a gift supporting the Digestive Disease Institute or any area of Cleveland Clinic, visit iSupport, our secure online giving site, or call Institutional Relations and Development at 216.444.1245 or toll-free at 800.223.2273, ext. 41245.
Related Links
Digestive Disease Institute
Learn more about colostomy
Learn more about pulmonary emboli
Learn more about ulcerative colitis
Read about the late David Gordon Jagelman, MD
