Press Releases

Memorial will honor an Extraordinary Life, an Uncommon Love and the Exceptional Care Received at Hunterdon Medical Center

October 22, 2011

Flemington, New Jersey – October 18, 2011 – In a ceremony today,
Dr. Robert Colombo, President of Cerebronix and resident of Annandale,
presented a 40-pound bronze plaque to the staff at Hunterdon Medical
Center to honor his companion of 39 years, Debora Colombo, and pay
tribute to his unwavering love and the exceptional care she received in
her final days at Hunterdon Medical Center. Ms. Colombo passed away on
November 30, 2010.

“As President and CEO of Hunterdon Healthcare, I am deeply grateful
to Robert Colombo for recognizing the physicians and nurses of Hunterdon
Medical Center who cared for Debora at the end of her life,” says
Robert P. Wise.  “Their dedication to providing compassionate care for
Debora and for all of our patients is truly exemplary and they are to be
commended.”

When Ms. Colombo arrived at Hunterdon Medical Center in October 2010,
she was barely conscious, in excruciating pain and suffering from a
serious infection that had traveled through her spine and into her
brain. The infection developed after a procedure done at a different
hospital to implant a shunt for administering dialysis.

Ms. Colombo was immediately taken to the Intensive Care Unit. The
critical care team at Hunterdon Medical Center led by Dr. Keith
Goldstein, M.D. and Dr. Anthony A. Granato, MD did what they could to
save Ms. Colombo. They brought in Dr. Joseph L. Gugliotta, MD, Hunterdon
Infectious Disease Specialist and Dr. Herman L. Maeuser, MD, Hunterdon
Surgical Associates to see what could be done.

“I always felt that I was part of the decision-making process,”
says Dr. Colombo. “The doctors were open-minded, listened to my input
and kept me well informed.”
 
“The good thing that came out of this tragedy is that now I have some
good friends at Hunterdon Medical Center. People who get treated at
hospitals usually complain about problems, but not many people go back
to say ‘thank you.’ I believe that people should be recognized when
they do well.  Debora was my best friend on earth, When she died a piece
of me went with her. Everyone at Hunterdon Medical Center did what they
could to make her final days a positive experience.”