Here are stories that have been shared with us by our patients or family members of patients while at Milford Regional Medical Center.
Compliments to Staff at Milford Regional
Michael Albee
Bellingham, MA
October, 2020
For those of you, like myself, who hate going to the Doctors office, Milford Regional Medical Center in Franklin has been a Wonderful Experience!!! From the friendly personnel at the front door to the nurse that meets you upstairs, they make it a warm and inviting atmosphere. My primary care physician ( Jessica Carroll ) puts my mind at ease. She takes the time to make sure I fully understand what’s going on with my care. Also the folks in office & lab have been professional as well as kind. Thank you, Michael Albee
Rich Finnegan
Hopkinton, MA
September, 2020
I had orthopedic surgery at Milford Regional Medical Center, and during the time I was there everyone (doctors, nurses, nurses assistants, OT, PT, food service, etc) I interacted with was friendly, supportive and professional, and made this challenging experience better for me. Thanks!
Ted Hudson
Whitinsville, MA
November, 2019
re: 11/5/19 Outpatient Surgery. My sincere thanks to the professional, upbeat, caring team who made my short stay a breeze ... Chris pre-admission testing RN; Janice pre-op RN; Mike (I think) anesthesiologist, Dave nurse anesthetist, Jim OR RN; Kayla surgical tech; Mavalia PACU RN; Janice SDC Discharge RN; Cherry patient care assistant and, of course, Dr. Jurist. The facility was absolutely immaculate, exceptionally well-equipped and surprisingly quiet. All the Best, Ted
Mary Hickey
Franklin, MA
May, 2019
I brought my son to your ER in April. He had convulsions and confusion. He was later transferred to Boston. The security guard Kenny was amazing! He helped with our cars. When my son was struggling in the lobby he made sure we got seen right away. He checked on him every hour telling him he would be okay and talked sports to distract him. He helped with bags and the ambulance transfer. He went above and beyond his job. He was a true angel to us and deserves to be acknowledged for his kindness.
Jen Dias
Milford, MA
March, 2019
I need to let someone know about the team over at the Breast Center. Starting with the fast and efficient secretary to the sweetest nursing staff around they made my biopsy painless and stress free. Dr Brooks made me feel relaxed and confident that I was getting the best care. The nurses were funny, happy and made me comfortable. The lady who did my mammogram was relaxed and easy going so no anxiety there either!! Huge thank you to them. They were exactly what every office needs. Thanks again!!
Christine Cavalieri
Whitinsville, MA
February, 2019
Early on Valentines Day around 4 am I was brought into the ER with severe chest pain, the staff in the ER was wonderful, from the nurses to the Dr and radiology, it was determined that I had a perforated ulcer and was going to need surgery ASAP, again everyone in the OR/Radiology was wonderful, after surgery I was sent the 2nd floor room 264 the Consigli Wing, I just wanted to let the Director of the hospital and Nurses that the top notch staff that they have working for them go above and beyond, they made a very scary and uncomfortable situation more comfortable and yes if I may say so, amusing at times, making me laugh and that really helped to take my mind off of the pain and being uncomfortable, and being away from my family, you should be very proud of the staff that you have here, you can tell that they really care about their patients, anytime I have been at Milford I have always had top notch care, Please make sure to say thank you to your staff again for me, Christine (Tina) Cavalieri
Trina Luczkow
Uxbridge, MA
October, 2017
My Mother, Florence Van Note was admitted to Gannett the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 17 for CHF. I would like to take a moment to share my thanks to those involved in her care. There is a tall young man (CNA) on Gannett who is attending nursing school and from what I observed would be an asset to Milford when he completes his education. The nurses who cared for my Mom were phenomenal, caring, and patient. It was necessary to have the very difficult discussion of end of life, expectation, and wishes on my Mom's part. Dr Anthony Wilson facilitated the discussion. Although admittedly as difficult as anticipated, we will forever be grateful to him for how he patiently, but directly, explained my Mom's condition to her and to us in a way she was able to understand and make decisions based on good judgement. ED staff, Hospitalists, Dietary, everyone was so attentive and kind. My continued thanks for having such a fine hospital as Milford to serve our community.
Bruce Doucette
Franklin, MA
August, 2017
I would like to take a moment to thank all of the Nurses and CNA's as well as all the staff from ER to Admissions that attended to me while I was hospitalized recently. Words cannot express my gratitude for all the staff at Milford Regional Hospital with the great care that was given to me. Compassion & genuine care did not go unnoticed. You are all the epitome of what excellent health care providers should be. Although there are many Nurses and CNA's that gave me the utmost care. over my week long stay I'd like to mention a few like Joss, Hannah,Tish,Lauren,Ally Lindsay. You all took great care of me. I know there were were other staff and nurses that assisted as well. I don't want to miss anyone. I'm sending my heartfelt Thank you to all. Sincerely, Bruce M Doucette Patient Room 124 Gannett.
Nancy Russo
Hopedale, MA
August, 2014
In 2010 I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetic connective tissue disease. While being checked for that at Brigham and Women's, I was having chest pains and was sent to the ER for a scan thinking there was a leak in my aorta. It was then my lung cancer was found. My primary was notified and I received a call from Dr. Ciaran McNamee. This was February of 2011. Immediately I was put at ease. I was seen quickly and soon had my surgery. I had just recently lost my mother in 2010 and my father passed the day after my cancer surgery. The whole staff was so wonderful. They were so caring and sympathetic to my cancer and my father passing. I now have been a volunteer for a little over two years at Milford Regional. I am a Compassionate Companion. I run errands as well as volunteer at the Cancer Center whenever possible. To be able to give back to the hospital and its patients for all the care and support I received has been a blessing from God.
Cardiovascular
AnnMarie Vermes
Westborough, MA
August, 2020
Good Afternoon, Yesterday Morning, 08/19/2020, I had an outpatient stress test at the Cardio-Vascular dept. The experience went way above my expectations. I was riddled with anxiety and angst over this test. I have some disabilities that made me feel I could not succeed with the test. I owe, the more than exceptional experience, to your very empathetic staff. They quickly identified my issue in confidence and did not mention it until I did. I would like to especially recognize a staff member named Eileen. Eileen, I do not know her last name, greeted me and took me into the curtained room and could tell I was very anxious. She was so personable and caring. she explained the complete process to me and listened to my concerns. She offered supportive answers to all my worries and made me feel like I was more than just a number. She stayed and guided me through the test end to end. She is just a lovely person. I have heard wonderful comments about the staff at Milford Hospital the past few years, and I for one can attest Eileen and crew are awesome. Regards, Ann Marie Vermes.
Emergency
Debbie Ferber
Wellesley, MA
February, 2020
I want to commend & thank AMY S. the ER NURSE who worked with my mom, Marla Ferber, on February 4. Amy was absolutely the right person to work with a sick dementia patient & her worried daughter. She was kind & efficient & went well above & beyond in making my mom comfortable.She even sang to her. Amy was absolutely amazing and I was so grateful to her. A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO HER. Your hospital is extremely lucky to have such a kind, caring, competent nurse. AMY S is a 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ employee!
Leslie Rappaport-Atlas
Franklin, MA
January, 2019
My Mom, Barbara Rappaport, recently made a visit to your ER on Friday, December 27th. I was impressed with the friendly and professional service we received from checking in to discharge. I would like to specifically comment on the superb care my Mom received from our ER Nurse, Rachel. Her friendly smile and confident demeanor put us all at ease. Best, Leslie Rappaport-Atlas (on behalf of the Rappaport family)
Michelle Ahl
Millis, MA
December, 2018
I was a patient on Sunday 12/9 for a diabetic emergency. I am a staff member of this great hospital and it made me realize how lucky I am to be able to work with such great people. The care that I received was so great my nurse Misty was awesome Dr. Siraco was great paramedic Brenda was great just wanted to thank all you guys for all you do.
Edward Albertian
Hopkinton, MA
August, 2016
Found myself unable to stand up as the room was spinning uncontrollably at 3AM this AM. I was about to shower for a 5:30AM flight to DC but my wife called the ambulance and there I met Dr. Hopkins. Calm, great bed manner, sensitive and a very good listener. Within minutes after checking my vitals and conferring with the ambulance crew, Dr. Hopkins felt my condition mimicked the symptoms of Benign Positional Vertigo. After about 2 hours, I started to feel better and just can't say enough about Dr. Hopkins, he was sensational in every regard. If you have an emergency, if you want to be in the company of competence and sensitivity, Dr. Hopkins is A#1. I was sent home about 8 hours after arriving and felt like a totally different person; motor skills, ideas for what to look for going forward and what to expect in the way of a full recovery were well documented. Life is funny, when thrown a curve ball you get to meet wonderful human beings; Dr. Hopkins is one of those rare individuals.
Thomas Wood
Uxbridge, MA
September, 2014
My aunt was brought to the emergency room by ambulance in a cardiac arrest and did not survive. I am writing this to say what a wonderful job the Nurse Liaison, Linda or Lynn M did in assisting the family in coping with the situation. She was comforting, informative and available for all of the family members who eventually came to the emergency room escorting them to the room to pay last respects. As not only a family member, I appreciated her assistance and am proud to say I am also a co-worker as an employee of MRMC.
Endoscopy
Susan Dewsnap
Franklin, MA
October, 2017
Today I was at Milford Regional for my first preventative Colonoscopy. Fortunately, as a healthy 50 year old, this was my first procedure involving anesthesia since having my tonsils removed at age 6. I was more nervous than I expected to be. Every staff member that I encountered today was helpful, compassionate and highly competent. There was excellent communication about the procedure, what to expect, how things would progress, etc. Thank you to everyone on the 3rd floor of the Hill Building for making me comfortable and providing such good care. That's a great team!
Feeding Therapy
Julie Green
Stoughton, MA
April, 2019
Our 3 year old son Jack was referred to Michelle Skeldon for feeding specialty services by his gastroenterologist for failure to thrive and poor weight gain. He highly recommended her services specifically for his specific needs so that is why we ventured over 40 minutes every week just to see her instead of seeking a more local feeding specialist. Jack, a usually shy and anxious toddler, instantly bonded with Michele. He was happy to see her every week. She easily collaborated with his gastroenterologist and her observations also help him determine if further medical work-up was needed. Prior to Michelle, Jack showed very little interest in food and would barely feed himself. With Michelle's help, Jack became more independent with eating and became more adventurous with different foods and textures. She also provided us with techniques to adopt at home to continue his success. We are so lucky to have worked with michelle and highly recommend her services, I know Jack will miss her too.
Ashley Costello
January, 2019
I’m not sure where to start with my recommendation for feeding therapy with Michelle Skeldon. There aren’t enough words to express our appreciation and gratitude for her work in helping my son with feeding. My son was 6 months old when we noticed issues. He never, ever put anything in his mouth. No toys, no teething rings, no solid foods. No matter how hungry he was, or how much his teeth hurt from teething, or how much we tried, he never chewed a solid food. Didn’t lick it, didn’t gum it, he would not allow it to cross his lips. He would eat pureed, store bought baby food fed to him with a spoon, and that was it. He would only drink from one type of soft tip sippy cup. No matter how thirsty he was, he wouldn’t drink from a different cup. If I pureed my own food for him it was still different than the store bought, and he wouldn’t eat it. Every minor characteristic about a different food bothered him. Even at 1 year old he still had never chewed and would not accept anything besides certain flavors of store bought pureed foods. He was even starting to reject some flavors that he had previously tolerated. It was at that point when the pediatrician finally agreed to recommend feeding therapy. It was the exact help that we needed.
Michelle was the first person who understood what was happening and how to help. She was able to identify our son’s roadblocks, develop a plan, set appropriate goals, and most importantly, teach us the skills to work on it consistently. She taught us things about feeding that we never would have put together, but once we learned and started using a different approach, we saw positive changes.
Our feeding therapy sessions started with slowly expanding his flavors of foods he was willing to eat. We then gradually changed the texture of his pureed food, then worked on him feeding himself with a spoon. Through the gradual thickening of his pureed food, we were eventually able to move on to actual table foods. They all started soft, like bananas and avocados. Slowly they got firmer, like cheese and boiled chicken. Then, finally, he made it to crunchy food, like cheerios and crackers. Once our son was willing to accept some new foods and was familiar with the sessions, we were eventually able to get him to work on drinking from other cups with different spouts. That was another seemingly small, simple skill that was anything but easy for our son.
Slowly but surely, Michelle helped us identify and work on new foods and new skills. She taught us about the subtleties that make all the difference for a kid with feeding struggles. She gave us homework to practice each week. The homework reinforced that consistency is key. Along the way we also worked on helping him to calm down more quickly after throwing a tantrum about being presented with something new or challenging for him.
About 6 months in to feeding therapy our son was diagnosed with autism and began ABA therapy. In addition to his feeding struggles, he also struggled with communication and eye contact. Adding in the ABA therapy helped him to communicate better so he could be less frustrated. It also helped him to get familiar with reward systems and routines. The two therapies went hand in hand and helped him put all the pieces together.
It took time, but by the time we “graduated” feeding my son had gone from being completely unwilling and truly unable to tolerate a single bite of food to being able to at least try new things and routinely eat many foods that we eat as a family. Since then, he has continued to expand his foods he will eat. He may always remain at least somewhat of a “picky” eater, due to his autism and truly being sensitive to some things. However, feeding therapy helped get us out of the woods and on the right track for the future. It got not only our son but our whole family to a new and improved quality of life. It dramatically reduced the stress and frustration level around meal times, snacks and even drinking from different cups. To anyone wondering if maybe there is something going on that is beyond “picky”, feeding therapy could be the answer.
Jennifer LaTour
Whitinsville, MA
January, 2019
My son, now 4 1/2 years old, started going to the feeding clinic with Michelle Skeldon in the fall of 2017. At that time he was eating less than 5 solid foods and pretty much on a liquid supplement diet. He met weekly for about 6 months and and at the time of discharge, there were so many foods that he was eating and nothing that he was not willing to try. The oral sensory problems and anxiety that he associated with eating had resolved and eating became enjoyable for him. It wasn't a chore anymore. Going to the feeding clinic with Michelle, trusting the process and repeating what was learned at home was in all honesty, life changing for my son and our family. I will be forever grateful.
Jamie Berenson
Sudbury, MA
November, 2018
My daughter as well as myself would not be where we are without Michelle Skeldon. We started our relationship with Michelle at Childrens Hospital early on when my daughter, Halle was 5 months old. I was a scared mother wondering if my child will ever be able to eat since she had a feeding tube since birth and the future was unknown with regard to her nerves and oral motor strength. Michelle is kind, patient, knowledgable and safe at every treatment. She left Childrens and we followed her to Milford Regional Medical Center a year ago. At that point, my daughter was 2 yrs old and getting ready to start preschool. After three treatments with Michelle, she picked up a spoon and fed herself independently puree. I trust her completely with the care of my child. Michelle has played an enormous role with halle's development. At this point, Halle no longer has a feeding tube and we are now working on eating solids. Michelle's encouragement and dedication will stay with me forever.
Michelle Skeldon, MS, CCC-SLP is a pediatric speech pathologist who specializes in feeding and swallowing issues. She can be reached by calling 508-422-2388.
Maternity
Michelle Skeldon
Holliston, MA
April, 2019
I recently delivered our second baby girl on the maternity floor at Milford Regional Medical Center and am so grateful for the expert care we received during labor, delivery, and my postnatal hospital stay. I was assigned Dawn as my labor nurse and as I was already in active labor upon arrival to the floor, she stepped right in and was by my side for the next several hours, even skipping her own lunch to be with me through delivery. She was calm and collected and encouraging...all of the things that I needed to get me through the intensity of contractions and delivery. She supported my husband and me and will always be a very special part of that day for us. It’s clear that this is not just a job for her and that she puts her heart into her work and into helping her patients. I hope her superiors are able to read this and see what an amazing nurse they have in their midst.
Dr. Digiovanni has delivered both of our daughters and is wonderful. We had an all star team of post partum nurses as well: Amy and Kim stand out as exceptionally caring and sweet but we had several more nurses for shorter amounts of time during our stay who who wonderful as well. All in all, I wouldn’t deliver anywhere else besides Milford Regional and wouldn’t change a thing about my birth experience there (due mostly to the caring nursing staff who went above and beyond to make this experience what it was.)
Gina Padula
Bellingham, MA
April, 2016
I was admitted into the hospital on a Wednesday for a scheduled induction. On Thursday evening I was not progressing and my Dr. wanted to roll me down for a c-section. I was really nervous and in tears about the thought. A nurse by the name of Christine would now be attending to me until 11:00pm. Christine knew that I was very upset. She said that there were plenty of things that we could try before throwing in the towel. Christine and my husband had me up on the bed on all fours while she held the Doppler underneath my stomach. I dilated from a 5 to 10 in a half hour. I was in pain and shaking and Christine was completely determined to get me where I needed to be. My Dr. came back in the room for one last internal exam, she was very surprised. I pushed for 45 minutes and had a beautiful baby boy. We were lucky to have had Christine come in when she did. I really hope that she will be recognized for her dedication and hard work that she put into my delivery.
Outpatient Laboratory
Neal Pearlman
Hopedale, MA
April, 2017
I wanted to take a moment to share our experience at the Out Patient lab at MRMC. This morning we had to bring our 11 year old son in for blood work. This is no easy task as he holds multiple diagnoses including severe anxiety. The phlebotomist that came to draw his blood was nothing short of wonderful. She came into the room smiling and immediately engaged him in conversation. She could clearly tell he was terrified and did everything she could to assure him he was safe and capable in having his blood drawn. She drew his blood quickly while keeping him engaged in conversation. He left with his head held high proud to have conquered one of his biggest fears. We cannot thank you enough Stephanie Howard. For children that struggle with invisible disabilities professionals like the ones we met this morning are a lifeline. We will continue to use the OPL at MRMC moving forward. Thank you all for the support, kindness and respect you showed our son this morning.
Physical Therapy
Peter Badger
Milford, MA
March, 2019
I met Jay Skeldon, my Physical Therapist on June of 2016 as I was recovering from fractured femur surgery. Immediately we struck up a wonderful rapport and I found Jay to be very professional and personable. Jay worked with me for three months and at that time it was determined that I needed further analysis on my physical condition as I was not progressing as expected. After a lengthy analysis, I was diagnosed with ALS disease. Several months after diagnosis I was told to start physical therapy again for this devastating disease. Considering the relationship and trust I had in Jay's ability, there was no doubt in my mind I would contact him for his services. Again, he proved to go above and beyond for me...we also found that most PT's don't have much experience in ALS. I was very impressed with Jay's passion as he made a commitment to research ALS to help me as much as possible. As a result he has provided me with the opportunity to maintain my strength, physical abilities and hopefulness as I fight this ugly disease. Jay has guided me throughout this difficult time and has continued to motivate and inspire me, he is an incredibly caring, warm person. I would highly recommend Jay as he is the best!
Podiatry
Edward Albertian
Hopkinton, MA
November, 2020
I'm less than 24 hours out of surgery and felt the need to sing extraordinary prasie about/to Dr. Michael Sganga. I met Dr. Sanga 6 months ago on the referral of my PCP; he had recommended that I see Dr. Sganga for my badly deformed toes with pain.......important to note I had already had 2 different surgeries on both feet 10-15 years ago and both progessively worsened, pain and the aesthetic. After meeting with Dr. Sganga I was convinced he possessed supreme podiatric knowledge and experience in dealing with abnormalities like mine. He immediately provided confidence that he could allleviate my pain and improve the look of my badly deformed toes. He spent enough time explainning and highlighting xrays in a fashion no other surgeon ever had....outstanding. In fact, in less than 10 minutes Dr. Sganga said, "we can fix those, I have seen worse" music to my ears! I even had my daughter who was having some foot pain see Dr. Sganaga and after seeing him one time, reports her foot is feeling dramatically better! Yesterday, Dr. Sganga operated on my foot and the entire procedure went extremely well I'm told, frankly, a bit too soon for me to tell in entireity, but, Dr. Sganga seemed very pleased with the outcome and stated, it went better than he could have hoped for.....More to follow: Important to note, Dr. Sganga has a fantastic delivery early on, he's humble yet supremely confident, patient with questions no matter how elementary I'm sure to him, above all, he's a wonderful listener, brings warmth and a caring empathy to every engagement, and a bed side manner like family! It's early in the recovery process for sure but I can't say enough about this extraordinary professional young man......he is quite simply exceptional! PS. Dr. Mathew Martinez was highly professional and great to deal with as well....in fact, the entire experience was well orchestrated, both nurses pre- op Kevin (a delightful female) and Roxanne post couldn't have been better or nicer. Yours sincerely, Edward Albertian