Who: Dr. Paul Impellizzeri, a WellSpan vascular surgeon in the East Region, and his patient, Bessie “Beth” Kleinfelter, of Lebanon.
What: Dr. Impellizzeri, who has been monitoring Beth for some vascular issues, knows that she is a BIG fan of ABC27 meteorologist Eric Finkenbinder.
Beth thoroughly enjoys watching Eric’s forecasts and was hoping in March to take a trip to Iceland that he is hosting for viewers via a travel program the central Pennsylvania station offers. But Beth worried her mobility issues would make the trip challenging and decided not to go. She shared her frustration and sadness about not being able to take the trip with Dr. Impellizzeri.
The surgeon decided to do something to cheer up Beth.
“She seemed disappointed,” Dr. Impellizzeri recalls. “I thought I would try to make a connection with Eric and see if I could get him to reach out to her.”
Through colleagues at WellSpan, the surgeon contacted Finkenbinder and asked him if he could film a video for Beth, sending her birthday and Happy New Year wishes. Beth turned 80 on Dec. 29.
Eric readily agreed and even recruited his colleagues, ABC27 anchors Valerie Pritchett and Alicia Richards, to join in on the video, shot in the station’s newsroom.
Then Dr. Impellizzeri asked Beth to come in to see him and surprised her with the video, which they watched together on his phone. She was tickled.
After watching the video, Beth told the surgeon that she likes Eric because he is farmer, who works in his off-hours on his family’s beef and crop farm in Perry County. Beth’s late husband, Harry, was a dairy farmer in Lebanon.
“He’s a farmer who made good, and he’s good-looking!” says Beth, turning to Dr. Impellizzeri and adding mischievously, “So are you. You remind me of a schoolmate I had a crush on. I’m single and I’m ready to mingle!”
Dr. Impellizzeri laughed and asked about the schoolmate and the conversation grew from there. Beth, who has a lively personality, a dry sense of humor and a twinkle in her eyes, shared that she enjoys singing karaoke on Friday nights (Patsy Cline songs are her specialty) and she is known as the “cookie lady” (she promises to make the surgeon some of her famous sugar cookies).
Beth shared other memories of a trip out West she once took with her dad and her four kids in a family station wagon, stopping to sleep under the stars, and stories about her husband and their life on the farm, which is now a housing development.
It was a good visit.
Words to live by: Dr. Impellizzeri knows Beth’s health history and will offer her the best treatment for her vascular issues. But he knows that there is more to her life than blockages and arteries. He sees the person she is.
“I wanted to give her a little treat,” he says. “I care about her.”
Beth says, “This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. I won’t forget it!”
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