Veronika Horvathova – Testimonial

"They gave me the care, urgency and compassion I was desperately seeking."

To Dr. Pal and his incredible surgery team — thank you for saving my life.

For nearly two years, since 2024, I had been suffering with neurological symptoms that kept getting worse. My first sign was swollen ankles on both legs. I went to my GP immediately, but I was told it was just an allergic reaction and that it would go away on its own. It didn’t.

Month after month, the symptoms spread. The numbness started in my toes and slowly climbed up my body until it reached above my belly. I lost mobility, sensation, and eventually the ability to walk. By the end of 2025, I was in a wheelchair for almost three months.

Despite everything, my symptoms were repeatedly dismissed. I was told an MRI wasn’t necessary. I was told urgent referral letters were being sent — but after calling the neurological clinic myself, I learned they had never received anything. The clinic told me this was not normal and gave me a direct email address to hand to my GP, Rooley Lane Medical Centre. With great difficulty, I went in person and begged them to send the referral properly.

Only after that did the clinic contact me — just a week and a half later — after months of delays and misinformation.

I was then referred to St. Luke’s Hospital, where I was finally told I needed an MRI. A week after the scan, on 23 December 2025, I received a call from Leeds General Infirmary asking me to come in the same day. That was when I saw my MRI results: a tumour in my T3/T4 spine that had been growing for many years.

That same day, I met Dr. Pal. He was calm, professional, and incredibly kind. He explained everything clearly and gave me the time I needed to process the shock. Throughout the entire process, he stayed in contact, supported me, and prepared me for what was ahead.

On the day of surgery, he removed the entire tumour.

I thank God for placing me in the hands of Dr. Pal and his exceptional team. After years of being dismissed and left without answers, they gave me the care, urgency, and compassion I had been desperately seeking. They truly saved my life. I'm now on my recovery and I will be forever grateful.