After a life-changing discovery during a medical crisis abroad, one patient’s remarkable journey led her to Dr. Naiem Nassiri, the surgeon she was meant to find.
Maria grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, where she attended the New Haven public school system. Hers has never been a quiet life; she has been married three times, raised three children, and spent two decades living in the Dominican Republic after relocating there in January 1998. It was a life rich with experience, relationships, and the kind of resilience that only comes from truly living.
It was during the summer of 2018, while still in the Dominican Republic, that Maria’s health took an unexpected turn. She developed severe gastrointestinal symptoms caused by a parasitic infection, and after several days of hospital treatment and a course of medication, she believed the worst was behind her. But the discomfort persisted, and a follow-up visit with another physician led to an ultrasound. What that imaging revealed changed everything.
“The doctor told me I had an abdominal aneurysm and that I needed to return to the States immediately,” Maria shared.
Maria called her daughter from abroad to begin coordinating care. Within three days, she was back in Connecticut and in the office of a vascular surgeon, who ordered a CT scan. The results were sobering: two aneurysms had been identified near the heart, and a third in the abdomen. Complicating matters further, the parasitic infection had not fully resolved, and she was referred to the Infectious Disease Department for concurrent treatment. The parasite had also caused an intestinal blockage, and the physician overseeing her workup declined to address it directly, instead recommending she seek care in Hartford.
“I was frightened,” Maria recalls. “I imagined I could be in real danger at any moment.” But rather than wait, she did what she had always done: she took matters into her own hands.
A Phone Call That Changed Everything
The secretary who made the connection
Maria picked up the phone and called the Vascular Department at Yale herself. The person who answered would prove to be far more than a scheduler. Her name was Estephanie, and when Maria, whose ear had been trained by twenty years in the Dominican Republic, noticed the distinctly Spanish cadence in the name, a warm conversation unfolded.
Estephanie mentioned that a new physician had recently joined the group. She gathered Maria’s full medical history and sent it to him that same day. The following morning, Maria had an appointment with Dr. Naiem Nassiri.
The Plan of Care
A surgeon with a vision, and the skill to match it
Maria and her daughter arrived to find Dr. Nassiri had sketched a detailed diagram of her aneurysms on a large whiteboard. He walked them through the anatomy with clarity and confidence. He made clear his intention to treat her condition using minimally invasive endovascular techniques rather than open surgery, a distinction that carried enormous significance for her recovery and quality of life.
The intestinal blockage also required attention before the vascular work could proceed. Dr. Nassiri collaborated closely with a gastroenterologist colleague who performed the necessary procedure while he provided guidance to ensure the abdominal aneurysm was not disturbed in the process. The coordination between the two physicians was seamless, and Maria recovered well enough to move forward with the vascular repairs.
Over the course of 2019, Maria underwent five procedures. Rather than attempt to address the full extent of her aortic disease in a single operation, an approach that would have carried significant risk for a patient of her age and complexity, her surgeon chose to repair the aorta in carefully planned stages, each one setting the foundation for the next. Maria tolerated each procedure well.
Following Her Surgeon
A new home for her care and a bridge between two chapters
In January 2024, when Dr. Nassiri transitioned to The Vascular Care Group, Maria’s decision was immediate. She had been through too much, and trusted him too deeply, to consider starting over with someone unfamiliar with her history. She followed him to TVCG without hesitation.
This transition required a technical bridge as well as a personal one. A bridging stent was placed to connect the repairs that had been completed at Yale with the ongoing care to be done at TVCG, and Maria tolerated that procedure extremely well.
Over time, imaging revealed that her aortic disease had extended into the most complex territory of the aorta: the aortic arch, the region adjacent to the critical vessels supplying blood to the brain. It was to be the most demanding chapter of her care yet.
The Most Complex Chapter
Reaching the aortic arch, and closing the book on her disease
The surgical team at The Vascular Care Group designed a staged, minimally invasive approach. First, a bypass was created connecting the left carotid artery to the subclavian artery, redirecting blood flow to the left side of the brain and arm, and creating the necessary anatomical landing zone for what was to come next. A thoracic endovascular aortic repair was then performed, extending a stent graft into the aortic arch to seal the repair and address the disease definitively.
The final step was performed not in a major hospital, but in The Vascular Care Group’s outpatient office-based lab in Darien, CT, a testament to the team’s ability to complete even complex vascular work in a setting designed for efficiency and patient comfort. A coil embolization of the origin of the bypassed subclavian artery was performed as an outpatient procedure, completing the repair.
Maria is now free of active aortic disease. The mortality risk from her aorta, once a source of years of careful, staged intervention, is essentially zero.
Life After Surgery
Back on the dance floor
Within weeks of completing her most recent procedures, Maria was back at the gym three times a week. She has since returned to something she loves deeply: ballroom dancing.
When asked what she would want others to know from her experience, Maria is characteristically direct: “Don’t wait for someone else to make the call. I called myself. I asked questions. I paid attention to a name.” She credits Estephanie’s genuine helpfulness as the pivotal moment, proof that every person in a care team, at every level, matters.
Maria said, “Dr. Nassiri was sent to me. I’m in his hands and in good hands, and that’s the best you can ever get.”
Maria’s story spans nearly seven years, two institutions, and a surgical journey of exceptional complexity. It is, at its core, a story about resolve, a woman who refused to be passive in the face of a frightening diagnosis, who made one phone call, built one unexpected connection, and stayed the course through every stage that followed.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with a vascular condition, The Vascular Care Group team is here to help. We welcome patients navigating even the most complex or multifaceted diagnoses.