MAUMEE, Ohio — "80% of people who have a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm don't survive. The survival rate's 20%."
Those are the words of Dr. Todd Russell, a vascular surgeon with ProMedica Toledo Hospital's Jobst Vascular Institute. But it's a stat line that Maumee native Barrie Rhodes can say he's defied the odds of.
The 73-year-old former marine and drill sergeant had emergency surgery to repair a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm on Friday, March 29.
Rhodes initially thought he was simply having bad back pain but as time went on, the pain worsened. That's when he decided to get checked out at the ProMedica Toledo Hospital Emergency and Urgent Care in Maumee.
From there, doctors knew that Rhodes was in dire condition.
"I just remember them opening up my shirt and the doctors are doing an ultrasound on my chest," Rhodes said. "They are not really asking me any questions because I'm pretty much out of it."
Thankfully for Rhodes, the quick actions of Dr. Samuel Ghencian, the doctor who cared for Rhodes initially, were enough to get Rhodes transported to the emergency room in Toledo. That's where Russell was able to perform surgery at approximately 2 a.m. that Friday morning.
"That tough persona certainly helps somebody in a situation where they're being challenged to rise to the challenge and win," Russell said. "I like seeing somebody who has that background because I know they're not going to give up."
Rhodes is now recovering in his home in Maumee alongside his newly wedded wife Pati, who he married this past Sunday. He remarried after his previous wife passed away in October 2020.
For him, however, he feels that life is worth living being happy and fulfilled, and he credits the efforts of those around him to inspire him to take advantage of each day.
"I'll give the credit to God, who gave talent to physicians and for bringing Pati into my life," Rhodes said. "It gave me a reason to not just lay there and pass away."