Evangelia’s first episode of extreme abdominal pain happened in 2021. We thought it was related to a virus, but a year later she had another episode. After that, we went to the hospital and did every exam possible.

Her MRI showed a large tumor on her pancreas, which is a very rare case in children her age. Even though it was not likely malignant, it needed a distal pancreatectomy to be removed.

Because her condition is so rare, we went through a lot of inquiries for her care, both at home in Greece and abroad. We were advised that Dr. Jaimie Nathan is an expert in pancreatic surgeries, and that he’d be an excellent fit to handle our rare case. He has the expertise that inspired us to have the operation in Columbus, even if it was far from Greece.

Dr. Nathan performed Evangelia’s operation robotically instead of laparoscopically. This technique was minimally invasive, shortened her recovery time, and helped Dr. Nathan preserve her nearby spleen, which benefits Evangelia in the long-term. Dr. Nathan is part of a very small group of pediatric surgeons that can perform this robotic technique, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

We highly recommend Nationwide Children’s Hospital for families seeking treatment, especially anyone abroad. We were communicating with several hospitals – including three of the top hospitals in the United States. Nationwide Children’s was the best hospital that we visited. It’s fantastic and well-organized. And Global Patient Services had such quick responses we didn’t lose time coordinating her care. We felt so safe and comfortable, and the staff made all the difference.

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• Name: Evangelia B.Evangelia B
• Condition(s): Pancreatic Tumor
• Age at Treatment: 8
• Age Today: 02/14/201410 Years

Evangelia’s first episode of extreme abdominal pain happened in 2021. We thought it was related to a virus, but a year later she had another episode. After that, we went to the hospital and did every exam possible.

Her MRI showed a large tumor on her pancreas, which is a very rare case in children her age. Even though it was not likely malignant, it needed a distal pancreatectomy to be removed.

Because her condition is so rare, we went through a lot of inquiries for her care, both at home in Greece and abroad. We were advised that Dr. Jaimie Nathan is an expert in pancreatic surgeries, and that he’d be an excellent fit to handle our rare case. He has the expertise that inspired us to have the operation in Columbus, even if it was far from Greece.

Dr. Nathan performed Evangelia’s operation robotically instead of laparoscopically. This technique was minimally invasive, shortened her recovery time, and helped Dr. Nathan preserve her nearby spleen, which benefits Evangelia in the long-term. Dr. Nathan is part of a very small group of pediatric surgeons that can perform this robotic technique, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

We highly recommend Nationwide Children’s Hospital for families seeking treatment, especially anyone abroad. We were communicating with several hospitals – including three of the top hospitals in the United States. Nationwide Children’s was the best hospital that we visited. It’s fantastic and well-organized. And Global Patient Services had such quick responses we didn’t lose time coordinating her care. We felt so safe and comfortable, and the staff made all the difference.