Four days after Stephen Reyba retired from the coal mining business in 2011, he went to the hospital in excruciating pain. Diagnosed with pancreatitis, he was sent home with pain killers.

For the next month, Reyba went in and out of two different hospitals, but the same thing always happened: He was sent home with no improvement. Exasperated, his wife, Cindra, turned to the Internet and searched for pancreatitis.

She found information about the pancreas experts at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and even though she and her husband were in Pennsylvania at the time, Cindra decided Stephen needed to go to The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She quickly chartered a plane, and they flew to Maryland. “He was going downhill fast,” she says.

Just 24 hours later, Stephen’s pancreas was removed by surgeon Kent Stevens. The operation went well, but during Stephen’s recovery, he had some setbacks that required additional procedures. “It seemed like anything that could go wrong with his health did go wrong,” says Cindra.

After many months in the hospital, Stephen was well enough to return home in early 2012. He had a feeding tube and several drains, but Cindra learned how to care for him and arranged for caregivers to provide additional help in their home.

While recovering at home, one of Stephen’s favorite things to do was to take walks around the neighborhood and watch the Food Network. “Even though he couldn’t eat, he still loved food,” says Cindra.

In honor of his love for fine food and drink, the couple visited Napa Valley in the fall of 2013 with some friends. That winter, they spent quality time with their loved ones throughout the holidays. 

Unfortunately, in early 2014, Stephen began to have renal failure. Regardless, he and Cindra visited his hometown in Pennsylvania to go to his favorite church on Easter Sunday. Shortly thereafter, in May 2014, Stephen died at home surrounded by his friends and family.

Cindra says if it weren’t for the quality of care Stephen received at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, she wouldn’t have had those three extra years with Stephen after he was diagnosed with pancreatitis. “The care at The Johns Hopkins Hospital was exceptional,” she says. “The nurses and doctors were all so helpful.”

To show her gratitude, Cindra has made generous donations to benefit the doctors who provided care for her husband: David Efron, Kent Stevens and Albert Chi. As a result, the Stephen Reyba Memorial Fund was established. The goals are to help families dealing with an acute care crisis and to provide enhanced patient and family support and advocacy.

“Stephen and I didn’t go through all of that for nothing,” says Cindra. “I want to stay involved with Johns Hopkins and make donations in his memory to help others going through the same experience we did.”