Skills beyond surgery

Cole has Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. It began in 2019, when he was in pain and admitted to the emergency room.

“Crohn’s has changed my quality of life. “I cannot do simple things like go to the grocery store with my 6-month-old daughter or take family road trips because of my sense of urgency to use the bathroom,” he says.

According to Dr. Daniel Bonville, a fellow Air Force Veteran and chief surgeon at Houston VA, “Crohn’s is an autoimmune disease with no cure.”

After medications failed, Bonville assured Cole that surgery on his large intestine was necessary.

More than a patient

As appointments became regular, the two Veterans bonded.

“We had the same sense of humor, we deployed to the same places, and we could communicate on a level that was just different,” says Cole.

Now that he was about to have life-changing surgery, that rapport helped him feel more at ease.

In early January, Cole had laparoscopic surgery on his large intestine.

Surgery is just one of his skills

Shortly after the 2-hour surgery, Bonville went to the waiting area to inform Cole’s wife, Donna, that her husband was now in recovery. She was holding their infant daughter, Clara.

But infants aren’t allowed in recovery areas.

So Bonville offered his babysitting services for a few minutes.

“At the VA, you find people who think outside the box,” says Cole. “The fact that he took time out of his busy schedule to not only perform the surgery but also to support my wife and baby, that’s rare and something you can’t put a price on.”

Now five weeks past his surgery and doing well recovering, Cole is looking forward to celebrating his wedding anniversary.

He says Bonville’s actions illustrate the care often found at VA.

“Each Veteran’s experience is different but knowing that Dr. Bonville is there for me and my family, prioritizing my health and well-being, shows his true character,” he says.