As bible believing followers of Christ and abortion Abolitionists, Texas residents Matthew Tringali and his beloved wife Kimberlee know a thing or two about respecting the God given gift of life. While they are engaged in battle for the lives of pre-born babies out side of abortion clinics, they encounter the evil spirits behind the murderous parents who decide their baby will die that day. Matthew’s heart of a servant is so familiar with the spirit that is unjustly murdering his smallest neighbors, that when he sensed the same murderous spirit close to him, he had to ask his wife a question that no one should ever have to ask:
“Do you think he is going to kill me?“
When Matthew and Kimberlee are going about traveling the country to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is by the grace of God that Matthew is able to do so. You wouldn’t necessarily know it by watching Matthew preach, but he suffers from debilitating body pain despite having an internal pain relieving device implanted in his spine called a stimulator. The stimulator has a battery pack like generator that is connected to wires and extenders which are strategically placed into the spaces between his spinal cord and vertebrates. There is a remote control that Matthew has that he can use to send an electric current to the source of pain in an attempt to find relief from his daily pain. The constant pain is disruptive enough that the Tringali’s knew more had to be done to enhance the physical quality of life for the Marine veteran.
After the VA sourced out Matthew’s need for a neurosurgeon, it seemed like a perfect match when Matthew was given over to a 13+ year experienced neurosurgeon, who served with the US Air Force as a Neurosurgeon that at one time, was deployed to Afghanistan.
It was bittersweet news to the Tringali’s when it was determined that Matthew would require surgery because that meant relief was close by, or so they thought. In order to determine what kind of damage Matthew’s body is concealing, it is imperative for him to be able to under go MRI scans, but with his original stimulator and gear, that was impossible.
What was supposed to be a 45 minute or less procedure of replacing Matthew’s spinal cord simulator device to make him MRI compatible turned out to be nothing less then physical, mental and emotional torture.
Tringali’s surgery with neurosurgeon Dr. Brian J. Hood at the Ascension Providence Health Center Hospital in Waco, Texas took place on July 29, 2019. This particular surgery removed Matthew’s original spinal cord stimulator and replaced it with an MRI friendly stimulator. His surgical site was stapled closed and Matthew was on his way to learn long awaited answers about his pain. To the Tringali’s the surgery seemed to have gone well, until Matthew arrived at Baylor Scott & White Medical center on August 27th, 2019 to receive an MRI on his right hip. To Matthew’s horror, he was told that he was unable to receive his MRI even after having undergone surgery for the very purpose of being MRI compatible. Feeling helplessly thrown right back at where he started, Kimberlee began immediately looking for answers. What was revealed to her about the next day about what had happened can only be explained as the first of many senseless acts of negligence and incompetence.
After having been on the phone with both the corporate office for Boston Scientific, the company who manufactured the simulator as well as the office of Dr. Hood, it was determined that Matthew’s surgery was totally worthless. Somehow, Dr. Hood forgot to connect the new simulator to the wires that are intertwined Matthew’s spinal cord. Matthew was ordered to call the neurosurgeon as soon as possible to make an appointment to discuss his options.
Not even 10 days after hearing the devastating news of the avoidable screw up, not only was Matthew’s stimulator not connected to the wires and leads but as it turns out the simulator wasn’t even positioned correctly. Due to the device laying on it’s side and being misplaced placed on Matthew’s sacrum, it not only caused unimaginable pain but also left him at high risk of his sacrum ulcerating if the resulting pressure wasn’t relieved.
Matthew’s second surgery took place on September 26th, 2019. The plan was to go back into his spine and remove only the part of the device that wasn’t MRI compatible. Matthew was warned that if removing only that piece wasn’t possible, the stimulator and wire leads would both have to come out in order to have an MRI preformed to determine if a different type of lead could be used on his spinal cord. The plan was good and as long as new leads could be used, the device would be reinstalled but if new leads weren’t possible the device wouldn’t be replaced. The second surgery was a success and Matthew was assured that he was now MRI compatible. Two incisions that were again stapled shut are where the new set of leads and a new device was implanted through.
By the end of the following month Matthew was met with a whole new kind of pain, he was ready to ice up his incision site and remove the new stimulator with a razor blade himself. Matthew landed in the ER due to the unbearable pain but suffered through knowing his long over due MRI would provide him with answers that would lead to a solution. Just 2 days before his newly scheduled MRI scan, he received a phone call- notifying him that his appointment was cancelled due to his new stimulator not being MRI compatible.
That’s right, with Matthew’s second surgery the books, he was still not able to be placed inside of an MRI machine. As it turns out the new device that Dr. Hood chose to place inside of Matthew for the purpose of being MRI compatible can only be compatible with an MRI machine that has has a magnetic field strength of 0.2. With ever growing medical technology being built to be bigger, better and stronger, finding an MRI machine with a magnetic field weaker then 2.0 to compensate Matthew had proven to be impossible.
Before long things started to look suspicious to those who know the Tringali’s. Not only was Matthew placed with a seasoned neurosurgeon who was licensed in 2 states, but the doctor also appears to have not a single complaint filed against him. How could a doctor possibly mess up two surgeries on the same person in less then 2 months and why is there new pain?
It was soon revealed that not only were both surgeries worthless but every record of any phone calls made from Matthew to Dr. Hood’s office about the excruciating pain he was in, somehow went completely undocumented. Dr. Hood couldn’t even be bothered to show up to Matthew’s post operation appointment to remove staples. At that post operation appointment Matthew made the Physicians Assistant aware that the pain he was in was so agonizing, that he wound up in the ER.
When Matthew attempted to reach out to his surgeon at a later time to be seen about the continued pain he was told that his consultation had expired, despite it not actually expiring until the year 2020. While Matthew was speaking to the office manager she told him that the nurse and the P.A said that he never reported and complaints of pain. In return Matthew told the office manager that those employees were lying, which clearly upset the office manager who ultimately discharged him from Dr. Hood’s practice. Matthew’s discharge came under the guise of “being disrespectful”, which was ironic to the Tringali’s since Dr.Hood himself had no issues being disrespectful during Matthew’s consults when he would used foul language and even yell at Matthew on many occasions.
On November 14th, somehow after pleading repeatedly, Matthew was able to get himself seen in the office of the only neurosurgeon who was familiar with what he had just gone through. It was at that very appointment that Dr. Hood made it perfectly clear that he wanted to be done with Matthew Tringali. Hood decided to immediately send Matthew to the hospitals surgical unit where he was going to perform one last surgery on Matthew, to remove the simulator and all of the wires that had just been placed.
Kimberlee arrived at the hospital to be by her husbands side, she hadn’t even bothered to return home to change out of her nurses uniform before heading to Ascension Providence. As the Tringali’s waited for Matthew to be taken back to the operating room, Matthew looked at his wife and asked her a gut wrenching question about his surgeon that no wife would ever want to hear:
“Do you think he is going to kill me?”
By this point, Matthew’s concern was justified, there was no doubting the anger that was raging inside of Dr. Hood. After Matthew finally went into the O.R. Kimberlee anxiously waited for Matthew to come out of surgery. As she was in the hallway checking on the status of her husband’s procedure she heard a man say her last name very loudly, she turned only to realize it was Dr. Hood, who was standing at the nurses station. Kimberlee who was still in her nurses uniform got closer to hear what was happening, she blended in with the other nurses, rendering Hood completely unaware of her presence.
Hood was shouting in a fit of rage with nurses, patients and visitors present. Kimberlee was devastated by what she heard next.
“I am done with Mr. Tringali, I never want to see him ever again! He is getting no pain medication or post surgery from me! He is getting nothing! As far as I care, I never want to see that man’s face again! He’s been nothing but trouble! I don’t care what happens to him I never want to see him in my office again! I glued him shut this time so that I don’t have to see his face to take out any staples! I don’t give a crap about him! I’ll drop kick him out of the hospital! He is such an [explicit]! He’s a jerk! Let me put a hook in his cheek and toss him out of the hospital like a fish!”
It took a moment for Kimberlee to fully process what had just happened and everything that was said by both Hood and herself, but soon she was overwhelmed with the reality that this doctor, who hated her husband so much, just had his hands inside of Matthew’s body. Kimberlee took to Facebook shortly after where friends and family were waiting on an update on Matthew’s unexpected surgery. As tears streamed down her face, a shaken Kimberlee explained the whole traumatic ordeal that had just taken place inside of the hospital with Dr. Hood. She also dropped the bombshell that Matthew’s second surgery had actually been botched and not just neglected. Kimberlee described how even with a representative from Boston Scientific in the operating room during Matthews second surgery, Hood managed to only replace the actual stimulator device from Matthew, but not the wires themselves that were what was ultimately preventing Matthews MRI’s to begin with.
Part of the plan for Matthew’s second surgery was to also replace parts called “extenders” which are used to connect the wires to the stimulator. As it turns out, Dr. Hood removed the extenders but instead of replacing them as planned, he then proceeded to recklessly pull the wires and attached them directly to the new stimulator. The torturous new pain that Matthew was feeling in October was the adverse reaction of suddenly having absolutely no wiggle room to allow him to move freely. Matthew’s back was essentially locked up tighter then Fort Knox.
Kimberlee went on to explain how Dr. Hood stormed off after he was confronted in the midst of his despicable behavior. The nurses who witnessed this all showed compassion, empathy and remorse on Hood’s behalf, even though they were employed through the hospital and not as Hood’s personal nurses. Statements were made, reports were taken and Hood was made to apologize to the Tringali’s.
Aside from the actions Kimberlee explains the hospital took towards reporting Dr. Hood, other actions are still pending.
It is unclear exactly why Dr. Hood has treated Matthew the way that he has but it’s no secret that when you are an outspoken Christian who lives to serve God, save souls for His Kingdom and preach the uncompromising truth of the bible- you are promised the world will hate you. Matthew has since returned home to rest and recover. Living without debilitating pain is his goal in the near future, he plans to travel the country full time with his wife and pup’s, rescuing pre-born babies from death and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to all who will hear.