Faith, family help woman thrive after 4 major surgeries

CHILLICOTHE – Over two years ago, Marsha Booth went into the Cleveland Clinic for her first surgery.

Two years and four surgeries later, she has left the hospital with a new outlook on life.

It began when her primary physician noticed something was amiss after she came in with a cough that persisted for three months. Booth said she was sent to get a chest X-ray, which revealed some swelling. Her next step was a CAT scan, and that's how they found the aneurysm.

It was in her aorta, the body's major artery that delivers blood to the entire body. Doctors found not one but five blockages that they told her would require two, possibly three, surgeries to fix.

"The problem with aneurysms is that you usually don't feel them until it's too late," said Dr. Eric Roselli, one of Booth's surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic.

Roselli said that the procedure performed to entirely replace the lining of Booth's aorta was something they do "quite frequently" at the Cleveland Clinic, which boasts more than 1,000 aortic operations so far.

"Her whole aorta is totally new, from top to bottom," Roselli said.

Roselli worked with another surgeon, Dr. Matthew Eagleton, and through four surgeries, they successfully relined the entire aorta.

For Booth, the hardest part of all the surgeries was not the recovery, but the final stop before entering the operating room. It was her last chance to see her family, for what she feared would be the last time, before going under the knife.

What got her through the two years of surgeries was her faith, staying positive, and the crossword puzzle.

"When you're faced with something like this, you start to look at life a little differently. The little things aren't important," Booth said. "I make myself do the crossword puzzle in The Gazette. It keeps my mind sharp."

But the entire process did not come without fear. At one point, Booth was afraid to go in for a surgery for fear of being paralyzed. Doctors told her she could die without it.

"I love my family, and I wasn't ready to leave yet, so I decided to go back for the fourth surgery," Booth said. "It's surprising what the mind can do when you know you have to do it."

The motivation of family got her through the surgeries, but the drive to return to work is part of what has motivated her recovery process. Still not ready to retire, Booth wants to continue to contribute to the workforce and her clients.

"I think they need me. ... I know I'd want someone caring for (my family) the way I care for my clients," Booth said.

In addition to her surgical team, Booth is thankful to have a good doctor who was thorough and looked for the solution to her health problems until they found the aneurysm.

"I can still walk, I'm still alive and doctors expect a full recovery," Booth said. "I hope to live quite a few more years and be healthy."