Dr. Thomas Manchester a world-class surgeon in Fort Morgan

Thomas Manchester Surgeon in Fort Morgan, Colorado. Photo: Courtesy Common Spirit

 

Por Germán Carías/GCIDA2025©

The day looked promising in my new job. After being a source of information for seven years in Fort Morgan, Colorado, the Morgan School District gave me the opportunity to be the liaison between the Hispanic and educational communities. However, starting at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, a date that represents a radical change in my life, I felt a moderate stomach ache that seemed to be due to a spoiled meal.

But what seemed to be a temporary discomfort turned into something serious. When I got home after my usual coffee, a terrifying chill took over my body. Then a very high fever made me lie down in bed. I remember, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, an intense pain stabbing me in the lower right corner of my abdomen. The decision to go to the clinic became imminent. I suspected appendicitis, my wife and daughter had their doubts.

The Morgan School District offered me the opportunity to help the Hispanic community in the United States, so there would be no more student dropouts and to motivate them to achieve their goals. This gives me the opportunity to keep families and local school officials informed. I even had the opportunity to develop a community radio project and maintain the flow of information.

We arrived early at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Fort Morgan. I entered through the emergency room, and an on-call doctor ordered blood tests and a CT scan to accurately confirm whether it was appendicitis. I also received an intravenous injection of a powerful painkiller to soothe the acute pain.

And although I still had no idea what time or date it was, I sensed that time had passed.

The emergency room doctor said my suspicions had been dispelled and were correct. What I was suffering from was appendicitis, and surgery was necessary to prevent further damage. So the doctor celebrated my luck in having a surgeon available who had just completed an operation and would have the operating room free for the afternoon. A final instruction was that I wouldn't be able to eat or drink water until after the procedure. The appendix removal surgery would be at 2:45 pm.

Dr. Thomas Manchester burst into the room and quickly explained the pros and cons of surgery. I was astonished to hear that some people preferred not to have surgery because they thought they had enough time to do it later. Honestly, I didn't know that if the appendix burst, the infection could be fatal. Dr. Manchester made everything very clear and did so with astonishing clarity. We understood each other perfectly, and when I told him I was a journalist, he told me I spoke English like an American, which flattered me. Thomas Manchester told me that his parents had taught English in high school—what we called "Language and Spanish" in Venezuela—so he learned to write and really enjoys it.

As the hours passed, with the preoperative preparations completed, Thomas Manchester, in a room that would be my recovery room after the operation, read to me all the implications and risks that could arise during the surgery. In the United States, they take the possibility of being sued very seriously, in this case for medical malpractice, although the reality is that you have to be careful in every situation. I'm very positive, but in a situation like this, my head was playing tricks on me. However, Dr. Manchester was someone who inspired confidence in me, and I knew I was in good hands.

And I continued to put my thoughts together while the hospital bed was carried out by the nurses.

—Germán, Germán, Germán.

I woke up hearing my name called several times. The first thing I noticed was that the pain was gone. Then I spoke with the anesthesiologist, with whom I had a pre-surgery discussion to explain the risks and implications of general anesthesia. Back in my room, my wife and daughter were waiting for me, welcoming me with lots of hugs and kisses. Then Dr. Manchester explained that the operation had been a success. I can only say that I was in the presence of a world-class surgeon in Fort Morgan, not only for his professional performance but also for his creative streak, which makes him an all-rounder. Thank you, and I hope we can develop a good friendship.

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