Senior at Denver metro area high school makes prom hours after emergency appendectomy
A high school senior in the Denver metro area nearly missed one of the biggest nights of her life after a sudden medical emergency. But thanks to the quick action of doctors at HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Children's, she still made it to prom just hours after surgery.
"I have a lot of good people around me right now," said Arvada West Senior, Lucie Brown.
The twinkle in her eye and upbeat personality are what make 17-year-old Lucie stand out. She's a dedicated student-athlete who loves people and her faith. Her senior year prom was an event she had been looking forward to, a chance to celebrate with her friends. However, that same week, her health began to decline.
"Wednesday night was when the pain started, and it was bad. It was the worst pain I'd ever been in," shared Lucie.
What started as stomach pain on Wednesday quickly turned into emergency surgery by Friday, the same day as her senior prom.
"We almost canceled the ultrasound appointment because it really didn't hurt as much as I thought it should," Lucie said. "The ultrasound technician asked if I had a high pain tolerance, and I was like, 'Maybe. I don't really know.'"
Later that day, Lucie was diagnosed with appendicitis after visiting her pediatrician and getting an ultrasound. Doctors urgently referred her to HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Children's, where pediatric surgeon Steven Rothenberg performed a minimally invasive appendectomy.
"We do the surgery minimally invasively, basically through a small half inch incision in her belly button. I said, 'If you feel well enough, we can let you go, and you can go to prom,'" said Dr. Rothenburg.
The procedure took about an hour, and Brown was discharged from the hospital just hours later.
"We were driving home, and I looked over and said, 'Did we just do that? Did that really happen?' Because it was so fast," said Laurie Brown, Lucie's mom.
Determined not to miss one of the biggest milestones of her senior year, Brown still attended prom that night, arriving in a wheelchair.
"I was so grateful that I got to be there. All my friends were so excited, and I just felt so loved that day," said Lucie.
Doctors say advancements in minimally invasive surgery helped make her quick recovery possible.
"Even 15 or 20 years ago, it would have been unthinkable to let somebody go home three hours after an appendectomy, and now we routinely send patients home the same day," said Dr. Rothenburg.
Lucie graduated from Arvada West High School on Thursday and will continue her studies at Brigham Young University in Utah.
