Dear Dr. Ognjen Barčot,
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you and to the entire team of the Department of Surgery at University Hospital Split for the exceptional care I received during my hospitalization from 3 to 9 July 2026. On 3 July 2026, you performed the emergency laparoscopic surgery that treated my perforated appendix and peritonitis.
I arrived at your hospital as a tourist, alone in a foreign country whose language I did not speak. I was frightened, in pain, and far from my family. Despite these circumstances, from the very first moment I felt that I was in safe hands. Every member of your team treated me with professionalism, kindness, patience, and genuine compassion. You never made me feel like just another patient—you made me feel cared for as a person.
After returning home and learning more about my condition, I came to fully appreciate how serious it had been. I understand that I was suffering from a perforated appendix with peritonitis, and that your prompt diagnosis, surgical expertise, and the outstanding care provided by your team may very well have saved my life. For this, I will always be profoundly grateful.
Please extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to my care—the surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, nursing assistants, cleaners, and all the other members of the hospital staff. Although I do not know all of their names, I will always remember their kindness, reassuring smiles, encouraging words, and unwavering professionalism. Each of you played an important role in helping me recover, both physically and emotionally.
What could have been one of the most frightening experiences of my life became an experience in which I felt surrounded by competence, humanity, dignity, and compassion. Your dedication to your patients is truly inspiring, and I will always remember the care I received at University Hospital Split with deep gratitude and admiration.
Please accept my sincere thanks and my highest respect for the remarkable work you and your colleagues do every day. I hope that this letter conveys at least a small part of the gratitude I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
With my warmest thanks and best wishes,
V.Z.Z., 21.7.2026.