Dr. Dawn Jaroszewski

My name is Christine and I am 44 years old. Dr Jaroszewski performed a modified Nuss procedure to fix me on February 19, 2021 and I am currently almost 2 months post-surgery. She is the only reason I am here today.

I cannot say enough good things about Dr Dawn Jaroszewski and her team at the Mayo Clinic. I did not present with “classic” pectus excavatum (PE) symptoms and appeared largely normal from the exterior if you did not know what to look for. After being diagnosed with severe PE through a cardiac MRI, I reached out to the Mayo Clinic to get an appointment with Dr Jaroszewski and sent all of my image data and relevant lab results to their Medical Records office. I first met with Dr Jaroszewski's nurse, Meagan, to review my history and then had a separate meeting with Dr Jaroszewski. Dr Jaroszewski already reviewed my data and came to my appointment informed, prepared and ready to make a plan. I knew she was the right surgeon for me - no one else could understand my case, and I met with multiple surgeons. She was my Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Because the COVID pandemic was surging at the time, it was not straightforward for me to get to the Mayo Clinic for the testing to triage my case into an emergent or an elective track so Dr Jaroszewski provided guidance and advised my local care team to complete the required testing. Once the critical data was gathered, Dr Jaroszewski called me personally to let me know that the procedure would be emergent and to expect a call from her scheduling team. My communication with Dr Jaroszewski and her team has been primarily through the Mayo Clinic online portal, and the team is well-informed, compassionate and responsive. The resources that they shared were valuable including websites, publications, TedTalks, a stretching and strengthening program, and Facebook support group. The community surrounding Dr Jaroszewski and her team at the Mayo Clinic is overwhelmingly positive and supportive. Her team was also very fast and easy to work with for my disability documentation required for work and state filings.

When we arrived at the Mayo Clinic for the pre-operative procedures and appointments the week of surgery, everything was planned, scheduled and well organized. It was refreshing to be able to just “show up” and not have to do all the heavy lifting myself, which I was accustomed to doing with my local team. Instructional materials were made available through the online portal, and were both detailed and easy to follow. All Mayo Clinic personnel were friendly and welcoming. While going through the testing and preparation for the surgery at Mayo, I was no longer treated like a fringe case – everyone was familiar with my condition, had seen it many times before and did not treat me like I was a freak. It was the first time I felt at ease in many months.

Since the surgery, which went very well, the team has been very responsive to all of my questions and again has provided additional guidance to my local care team, who will ensure I stay healthy until I return to have my bars removed. From all of my interactions with Dr Jaroszewski and her team, it is apparent why she is top in her field and that there is no one else who would have been able to manage my case. I am forever grateful to her and her team and recommend them, unequivocally.

I spent several months researching surgeons who perform the Nuss procedure on adults. Everything kept leading to Dr Dawn Jaroszewski at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. I made phone calls, read reviews, and watched videos available featuring this surgeon. I was convinced Dr Jaroszewski was the best surgeon available to perform my procedure. Turns out, I was absolutely correct. She is not only a superior surgeon but also a wonderful human being who genuinely loves to help people. She has surrounded herself with a staff equally as passionate and caring. My wife and I are both medical professionals with over 25 years experience each. We were both completely satisfied with the whole experience at Mayo. I highly recommend this surgeon and am grateful to have met her and her staff. I will never forget what they did for me.

We first noticed my pectus when a teammate asked me what was wrong with my chest, within minutes of researching I learned of pectus excavatum and decided to see a doctor about it. He diagnosed me with pectus excavatum and told us that it was pretty much cosmetic but that it could be fixed with surgery. After taking a couple of tests and a CT-scan we discovered that it was causing pressure on my right ventricle. After this we decided that surgery needed to be done, the aforementioned doctor told us he performed the surgery, but he seemed inexperienced and I didn't want a man who thought that pectus excavatum was only a cosmetic deformity to perform such a difficult procedure on me and I was not able to put my chest and life in his hands. I wanted not only a surgeon who knew and understood everything about the deformity, but I also wanted the best. So, after researching, we discovered Dr. J who seemed to meet the above criteria. After contacting her we decided she was the one and went ahead and scheduled the operation a year in advance.

My whole life up until this point had been perfectly healthy, I had only even been sick a handful of times, much less had surgery. So, for over a year, the operation loomed over me, constantly stressing me out and many times leaving me wondering why I was putting myself through this, but I always knew I had to do it. Finally, over a year after scheduling, the day finally came to fly all the way across the country to Arizona, in the 105 degree weather to have bars ran into my chest. I was scared, more scared than I've ever been in my life, but the next morning at the pre-op appointment I met Dr. J and her team. Dr. J is such a nice and caring person, and it was surreal to finally meet her. After their explanations my fear was gone. When we arrived at the Phoenix Children's Hospital we signed in and were almost immediately taken into the pre-op room where I met all the people who would be involved in the operation. Next, they gave me something to calm down, took me back, and put me to sleep.

When I woke up I looked at the result and was amazed, it was perfect. I had a pretty deep asymmetrical pectus with some pretty bad rib flare, but she fixed it all. I wasn't really sure what to expect but I'm sure if I had expectations she would have exceeded them. I can finally walk around without a shirt unembarrassed, she has made my chest perfect and I now have a body to be proud of and comfortable in. My care team was also great and my pain only rose above a two a couple times when I got in and out of bed and when they removed the chest tube. My team helped me heal and was always there when I needed them and were always very friendly. Within four days I was able to leave the hospital. I am now coming up on three weeks post-op and my pain is a lot lower than I expected and is getting better everyday. There have only been a handful of times when I've experienced any bad pain, and overall this has been a great experience, I would definitely recommend Dr. J to anyone young or old, no matter how bad your deformity is. Dr. J is truly the best.

Having had a 1st NUSS operation in the UK in 2014 which didn't fully correct my chest, I opted for a redo with Dr J in January 2016. I'm very happy with the results as Dr J managed to massively improve my chest shape over the 1st operation and at the same time resolve some issues which the 1st operation had unfortunately caused me. Overall my experience of Dr J, her staff and the Mayo clinic was excellent. In my opinion Dr J is the best Pectus surgeon in the world today. I have posted an extensive journal on the forum linked to this site under username UK_GUY for a more detailed view of my story. For anyone thinking of having a NUSS operation don't settle for second best choose Dr J!

What a relief to finally know have a diagnosis and know what is wrong with with me after a lifetime of symptoms and various doctors appointments and no answers! For me externally I basically just looked liked I had great cleavage so if it wasn't for my declining health & heart symptoms... I'm just so grateful! My cardiologist found fluid around my heart which lead to a CT which found my Pectus. I was never tested on inhale & exhale so Haller index probably was deeper. I did my research & found Dr. J at the Mayo in Phoenix. I can't stress enough how important it is to find the right surgeon & care team for this procedure, especially for my age. My husband & made the trip from Virginia to AZ for my surgery. I am currently 7 months post-op and feel great! I am beyond thrilled with my decision & can't thank Dr. J & her team enough! I can breathe fully for the 1st time in my life!! I have more energy than did before & it's spring here in Virginia & usually I am am on asthma medication & inhalers & I am free of all of that this year! Truly amazing!