Shane Soldinger

On April 2, 2011, Shane Soldinger was 35 years old, happily married, and
working as a general manager for a local winery. He also had a thriving
musical career, playing rhythm guitar and singing for a local band, the
Silverado Pickups. The day before, Shane had done an hour of cardio training
and was feeling fine.
"Out of nowhere, I felt an excruciating pain in my stomach,"
he remembers. "I couldn't even stand up straight, but I figured
the pain would pass." After four agonizing hours, however, his symptoms
continued to intensify. Shane's wife, Heidi, drove him to Queen of
the Valley's emergency room with what they thought was appendicitis.
But Shane wasn't worried—he'd have his appendix out and
everything would soon be back to normal.
Several tests, including a CT scan, were ordered. Soon surgeon Dr. Elizabeth
Cunningham broke the news that Shane's problem was much more serious
than appendicitis. She suspected diverticulitis and warned the couple
that he'd be headed for surgery the next day. The worst news: He'd
likely wake up with a colostomy bag.
Shane was still in denial about the severity of his condition. But by the
next afternoon, he was experiencing severe chest pains and within minutes
he was rushed into the operating room. After four hours of surgery, he
awoke to some very positive news: Dr. Cunningham had successfully removed
eight inches of his sigmoid colon, and a colostomy bag wouldn't be
necessary. That's very good news for anyone, but particularly for
a 35-year-old.
After 12 days at the hospital, Shane soon resumed a completely normal life.
Although he doesn't know what caused his diverticulitis, the gratitude
and the blessings are still very much with him. "I'm very fortunate
that my symptoms were so severe," he says. "Some people with
more minor symptoms don't receive treatment and are dead within 36
hours. I could have been a goner." And, he adds, he was incredibly
lucky to be in the deeply competent hands of Dr. Cunningham and her team.
Shane shares the perspective of anyone who has experienced a life-threatening
condition: Good health and a normal life just can't be taken for granted.
"You realize that the two most important things in life are health
and love," Shane reflects. "Everything else is just icing on
the cake. This experience enabled me to see that I don't want to lose
these gifts."