KSHB: 'Miracle Man' Celebrates Nine Years of Extended Life After Surviving a Medical Catastrophe
George Ranallo, 90, recently celebrated his 9th anniversary of surviving what doctors say is nothing short of a miracle after suffering a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, which causes massive internal bleeding and is usually fatal. The survival rate is only 20% which is more than what George was given.
When George’s wife, Angie, found him lying in the hallway at 4 am, she knew something was terribly wrong. EMS rushed George to Saint Luke’s South Hospital in Overland Park. They learned he had more than 2 pints of blood in his stomach and needed a specialized team to help save his life. He was transferred to Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, and doctors prepared his family that he may not even survive the transfer. A surgical team was prepared when George arrived, and they performed emergency surgery.
“He shouldn’t have survived it. Shouldn’t of, but he did,” said Dr. Russell Davis, Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute surgical co-director and George’s surgeon.
Dr. Davis explained to the family that most people in George’s condition don’t survive the surgery and put George’s odds at 10 percent. After waking up in the ICU, the first thing George remembers is Dr. Davis walking in and saying, “There’s my miracle man!”
George had about 2 ½ months of recovery, and since then, George has been making the best of the years he was gifted. He has celebrated his 66th wedding anniversary and his 90th birthday. He has spent many memorial moments with his three kids, four grandkids, and ten great-grandkids. He and his family are so grateful to Dr. Davis and Saint Luke’s for helping save his life and giving them more time with their big family.
