They gave us back our Mom: Antonia S. Rubalcaba

Antonia S. Rubalcaba personifies everyone’s vision of the perfect mother. Her daughter, Grace, recalls many happy memories growing up in Los Angeles. “My mother, who is 77, was born in El Paso, Texas and came to California in 1953,” Grace says. “My father, Miguel, who passed away in 1992, and my mother were married for 43 years, and he was the head waiter at Ernie Jr’s Taco House.

While Grace’s father worked at this famous eatery, her mother was busy raising five girls and one boy. “She was a stay-at-home mom and a very talented woman. She used to make our clothes, cook amazing Mexican food and was always so supportive of all of us.”

Unfortunately, Antonia has a very bad heart – most likely due, in large part, to her heavy smoking habit that began at age 13. As a result, Antonia suffered from congestive heart failure and emphysema. She subsequently underwent triple heart bypass surgery.

After the surgery, Antonia experienced a lot of pain in her right side. A MRI revealed an aortic aneurysm. However, at the time, Antonia kept the diagnosis to herself. “She was living with this ticking time bomb for nine years and we never knew,” Grace says. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; she is not one to tell us about those things.”

A few years ago, Antonia became extremely ill and Grace rushed her to the hospital. This time, Grace heard the results of the MRI firsthand – the aneurysm had grown and was operable. “However,” Grace points out, “the doctors didn’t believe that with her cardiac complications and illnesses, she could survive the surgery.”

So they returned home and Grace started searching the internet for answers. One day, however, her mother became gravely ill – the aneurysm had grown again, and Antonia’s local cardiologist told the family there was nothing they could do for this beloved mother of six. He offered no hope.

However, he did suggest contacting USC University Hospital as one last alternative. Grace jumped on the phone, and within a day her mother was in the office of Douglas B. Hood, M.D., director of Endovascular Therapies at the USC Center for Vascular Care at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

Through the amazing miracles of modern technology and Dr. Hood’s extensive expertise, Antonia successfully underwent minimally invasive surgery to treat the aneurysm. “Dr. Hood placed a couple of stents into the artery so that the blood flow would bypass the aneurysm,” she explains. “He did the operation by threading the stents up through two holes in her groin. Dr. Hood was prepared to make a regular incision if the minimally invasive approach was not successful, but he didn’t have to. I vividly remember him coming out of the operating room and telling us that she was fine and a strong woman.”

For Grace and her family, the discovery of USC University Hospital and Dr. Hood was “nothing short of a miracle.” Says Grace, “They saved my mother’s life. And the nursing and administrative staff were such caring, wonderful people. We were so scared when we first arrived, and they calmed us down. Dr. Hood and his staff really did help us. They gave us back our mom.”