Dr. Robert Cates Moravec, MD

I met with Dr. Moravec in person only a few times in 2005, after having experienced a stroke post-operatively (with another physician) at St. Joe's Hospital in St.Paul, MN on May 11, 2005. The stroke had left me with some mental and physical impairments which had made it somewhat difficult for me to communicate, ambulate and understand well. In the ensuing months after my stroke, I had many questions as to exactly how and why the stroke had occurred. When I met with Dr.Moravec, he and the staff at St. Joe's really went out of their way to make me feel welcomed and took the time to answer all of my questions thoroughly and in such a way that not only could a lay person understand, but that a newly impaired person could comprehend without feeling patronized. Looking back,I now realize that took one heck of a "bedside manner". Dr.Moravec came across as being very caring and compassionate while at the same time maintaining a sense of humor that is so crucial to patient outlook and… recovery. He not only gave me a guided tour of the areas of the hospital in which I'd received treatment, but took me to diagnostic areas and showed me MRI results, etc, comparing them to those of other (unidentified,of course), patients for clarity and to visually demonstrate his points. Additionally, Dr.Moravec made sure that I was getting quality follow-up care to ensure the best chances for my full recovery. I left our meeting that day with not only a dramatically better sense of what had occurred during my stay at St. Joe's (pre-op, OR, ICU and regular hospital care prior to a six-week rehabilitation at Bethesda rehabilitation hospital in St.Paul), but he gave me a sense of "inner peace" about my life situation that is so necessary to a person at that point in such a journey. My thanks again for having helped so much, personally and professionally, when I needed it most.