Page 36 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2017

PEOPLE crossing paths GETTING
Coach
BACK
Game
IN THE
36 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • June 2017
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Ocean Springs surgeon performs unusual pancreatic surgery
story by Susan Ruddiman photos by John Stricklin and courtesy of Jesse Alejandro
J esus “Jesse” Alejandro is known as “Coach” to many Vancleave youngsters because of his involvement in youth baseball and football.
He was acquainted with Edward Dvorak as a parent of children who participated
in football and from the church they both attend. The two men crossed paths in much different circumstances in June 2013 when Alejandro was in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Ocean Springs Hospital and Dvorak saved his life.
Dr. Dvorak, who is a board certified general surgeon with South Mississippi Surgeons, said that when
he walked into ICU to see the dangerously ill man, Alejandro told him, “Please don’t let me die, I have kids.”
Earlier in the week, Alejandro had gone to the Ocean Springs Hospital emergency room because of abdominal pain. He had a history of pancreatitis, and had bumped his stomach on carpeted stairs when he was taking a glass of water to his son. The discomfort started shortly after the bump.
His ex-wife accompanied him to the emergency room. “We had to wait two or three hours. When
I got to see a doctor, he looked at me, he looked at