Cleveland Clinic Florida Solves Family's Medical Mystery

A dream vacation in Jamaica in February, 2012 turned nightmarish for Boston residents Sylvia and Mitchell Haber and their family when Sylvia fell seriously ill within a few days of their arrival on the island.

The couple at first suspected mild food poisoning but became increasingly alarmed as Sylvia’s health rapidly deteriorated. A succession of medical treatments proved unsuccessful. Within a week, doctors in Jamaica said she was so gravely ill that they could not help her. Fearing that he would lose his wife, Mitchell, an executive with a large Web-hosting company, contacted his employer for help.

After determining the best hospital to provide the acute care needed, Mitchell’s employer arranged for Sylvia’s airlift to Cleveland Clinic Florida's main campus in Weston on February 29, seven days after their trip began. She arrived in septic shock with multiple organ failure, her chances of survival slim.

“Had it not been for the incredible team of doctors and ICU nurses at Cleveland Clinic Florida, I would not have survived.”

Twice during her first few days at Cleveland Clinic, Sylvia went into cardiac arrest, and then she developed profuse bleeding in her lungs. Attending ICU physician and pulmonologists knew that her situation was dire. Doctors requested Mitchell’s permission to try an experimental approach: injecting a coagulant called factor VII into her lungs. The treatment was not yet approved for this purpose by the FDA.

Ten minutes after the medication was administered, Mitchell heard a cheer from the room. “The doctor came back smiling and saying, ‘We stopped it. She’s stabilized,’” he recalls. “From that point on, every single day, there was improvement. Her recovery accelerated faster than they anticipated. A week later, she was eating, sitting up and talking. The doctors were stunned that she recuperated as quickly as she did. They were calling her the miracle patient.”

Medical tests showed that she had a severe reaction to medication she received in Jamaica. The original cause of her illness remains unknown. Today, Sylvia is recovering at home and taking care of her children. In gratitude, she started a personal fundraising page to support work at Cleveland Clinic Florida.

“Had it not been for the incredible team of doctors and ICU nurses at Cleveland Clinic Florida, I would not have survived,” Sylvia says. “I feel great, happy and amazed.”