Issiah Smith

Issiah was diagnosed with Scoliosis in 2014. We were referred to Dr. Widmann at HSS and all I could think was the worst: What did we do wrong? How could we have not seen this happening to him? Once we made the appointment, I starting asking around about the hospital and the Dr. that we were referred to. To my surprise, everyone that I have spoken with has had nothing but good things to say about the hospital and that Dr. Widmann was one of the best in his field of Pediatric Scoliosis, so with this information I felt a little better knowing that we were in good hands. I was very impressed with the appearance of the hospital when we first walked in, the staff was very helpful, the waiting area on the Pediatric floor was full of positive energy, bright and colorful not the topical dull and uninviting waiting area of other hospitals.

They always say the first impression will make or break you. my first impression of Dr. Widmann was that he was tall and gentle, he spoke to myself and my husband, but paid very close attention to my son Issiah and directed most of his question to him as if they had known each other before. He made my son feel very comfortable and showed him picture of his spine and explained to him in a way that an 11 year old could understand what was about to happen to him. After my first visit, I knew that we were making the right decision. Every visit after that leading up to the date of surgery just got better. Day of surgery was a very long day, but the staff at HSS was very helpful. The nurses kept us informed on the progress of the surgery. Issiah pulled thought the surgery with flying colors. When he finally woke up from the anesthesia, we asked him how he was feeling and when he gave us the thumb up, that was the best feeling a parent can have. ( I know it was the drugs talking). But again, the doctors & nursing staff did a great job at managing his pain. Prior to surgery, my son ran track, I did not think that he would ever be able to run track again after surgery, but less than a year after surgery, he was cleared to participate in track again. He never missed a beat, I was so amazed at his recovery. Thanks to Dr. Widmann and the phenomenal staff at HSS.