Time is precious. It moves swiftly through the everyday moments we often take for granted—family dinners, school events, a quiet evening at home. For Rebecca time was always in short supply. But after her diagnosis in 2024, it became something she feared she might lose altogether.
Rebecca and her husband were raising two teenage daughters while managing careers—hers in medical device sales and his in a busy medical practice—when she began experiencing unexplained symptoms. At first, she dismissed them as stress. But when she developed hearing and vision issues, she knew something was wrong. The diagnosis was a shock: an acoustic neuroma, a brain tumor requiring surgery.
The procedure was more complicated than expected, and recovery stretched from weeks to months. During surgery, Rebecca experienced significant brain swelling, resulting in a traumatic brain injury that left her needing to re-learn everyday tasks in the months that followed. As she focused on healing, she mourned the time lost with family and friends and the toll the surgery had taken on her life. It was 7 months before she could drive and 9 months before she could return to work, yet her journey was far from over.
Because of her diagnosis, Rebecca now requires biannual brain scans for the rest of her life—a necessity that, until recently, came at a steep cost. Each scan meant an entire day lost, traveling to Stanford, relying on
someone to drive her, undergoing sedation to manage claustrophobia in the scanner, and returning home exhausted. Then, something changed.
One day, during one of her daily walks—part of her effort to rebuild strength—Rebecca noticed a banner outside Sonoma Valley Hospital: Now Offering 3T MRI.
Curious, she looked into it and learned that SVH had acquired a 3T MRI, made possible by community donations—the exact type of advanced imaging she requires for her brain scans. One of the few in the North Bay, it offers sharper images, faster results, and twice the power of standard MRIs, enabling more precise imaging without the need for long-distance travel. Its larger bore design also makes scans more comfortable and helps ease claustrophobia, an issue Rebecca knows well.
When the MRI suite opened in August, Rebecca felt a sense of relief.
“This changes everything,” Rebecca says. “Now I can work for the morning, have the scan, and be home in time for dinner with my family. No more long drives. No more lost days. Just the care I need, right here in my own community.”
The experience was made even better by Becky Turpen, the hospital’s MRI technologist, who guided Rebecca through the process. “I’m claustrophobic, so MRIs have always been stressful,” she explains. “But Becky was incredible—she talked me through it, kept me calm, and made the experience so much easier. She is such an asset to this hospital.”
For Rebecca, having access to advanced care at Sonoma Valley Hospital is about more than convenience—it’s about reclaiming the time that surgery and recovery has taken from her.
“This surgery already took so much—my energy, my peace of mind, time with my kids. Thanks to our hospital, I don’t have to lose any more time. Even getting back half a day means more time with my family.”
Rebecca’s story is a powerful reminder that every donation to Sonoma Valley Hospital makes a difference. It’s not just about medical equipment—it’s about keeping families together, supporting patients through their toughest moments, and ensuring that world-class care is always close to home.
Give today and help keep our community healthy, here at home.
Advanced Imaging, Close to Home
Sonoma Valley Hospital’s new 3Tesla MRI (3T MRI) is a breakthrough in diagnostic imaging, offering sharper scans, faster results, and a more comfortable experience for patients like Rebecca. With twice the power of standard MRIs, it provides clearer images and helps detect abnormalities more effectively—without the need for long-distance travel.
Patients will experience shorter, more comfortable scans thanks to the MRI’s larger bore design, which helps ease claustrophobia, while enhanced imaging quality leads to better diagnostic precision.
Few hospitals in the Bay Area have access to this level of imaging, making SVH one of the leading facilities for advanced diagnostics. The 3T MRI also strengthens SVH’s affiliation with UCSF Health, ensuring patients receive world-class imaging without leaving Sonoma.
Thanks to community support, this cutting-edge technology is now available right here at home.
Dr. Adam Nevitt, Chair of the Radiology Department at SVH, extends his heartfelt gratitude, stating, “It is a minor miracle to have this magnet and technology at our rural community hospital. This doesn’t happen without the immense generosity and extreme commitment of community members. I can’t thank our community enough for making this possible!”
The 3T MRI was made possible by community donations through the Sonoma Valley Health Care Foundation, which provides critical funding for hospital improvements that would otherwise not be possible. Because of this generosity, patients like Rebecca can access exceptional care, close to home—right when they need it most.