Chapter 124

Just like mixing work, there are some things you can't learn the real skills for just from books without practical experience. In this category of knowledge, the content of books is more like supplementary knowledge or basic textbooks.

A major item in this category is medicine. Without enough clinical experience, just from reading various medical books and journals, Henry, aside from having human anatomy charts and meridian acupuncture point charts firmly memorized in his mind, was a total mess at the rest.

Perhaps the only place it could come in handy is dealing with obvious trauma like bleeding or fractures. Relying on his X-ray vision, he can spot a bleeding point instantly; the rest is just a matter of how to stop the bleeding.

However, Audrey Hepburn's situation was certainly not something that the Kryptonian's amateur medical skills could understand. After being referred from Switzerland to New York, and then from New York to Los Angeles, the lesion was finally found during a consultation with doctors at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Sitting in the consultation room, the attending physician was explaining the condition to Ms. Audrey Hepburn and Robert Wolders. Although Henry, this little assistant, was staying in the hallway, he still used his super vision and hearing to listen to the doctor's report.

"Ms. Hepburn, after confirmation through our laparoscopic examination, this is an extremely rare type of abdominal cancer. We call it 'pseudomyxoma peritonei,' or PMP for short."

"This disease is most commonly caused by primary cancer of the appendix. The cancer cells produce large amounts of mucus or gelatinous ascites, which grow slowly over several years, metastasizing onto the small intestine in the form of a thin film coating to form tumors."

"The tumors cause tissue fibrosis, hindering the function of digestive organs. If not actively treated, the resulting tumors and mucus will fill the entire abdominal cavity, compressing organs and causing the functions of the colon, small intestine, stomach, and other organs to be destroyed."

"Fortunately, at this stage, the cancer is still in the early phase of the second stage, meaning the tumor has left the primary site and begun to grow in other areas, but has not yet spread to the lymph nodes."

"In other words, we are optimistic about the results of the treatment. As long as surgery is performed to remove the affected areas, followed by chemotherapy, there is a very high chance of recovery."

"But if treatment is not performed, this type of cancer doesn't need to wait until it spreads throughout the body; scurvy, intestinal obstruction, or other complications alone could be fatal."

"So, from a doctor's standpoint, we would recommend that you take active treatment measures. As long as the post-operative condition is good, returning to your previous state of health is not a big problem. But considering the possibility of recurrence, regular follow-ups will still be required after surgery."

The attending physician didn't mince words and clearly stated all the conditions. After all, they had sought medical advice everywhere before finally finding their way to this medical center.

At a time like this, asking the patient herself to leave so the family members could be told the situation would have been too late anyway. If it were really that easy to treat, the previous hospitals would have been able to handle it, so it was better to just be direct and clear.

Both Audrey and Robert were exceptionally calm.

Audrey Hepburn had seen many storms and waves; even her wartime experiences as a child had allowed her to see through life and death. Even though she was the one facing it this time, her attitude remained indifferent.

Robert Wolders, on the other hand, was calm because he had experienced it once before; his first wife, Merle Oberon, passed away from illness in '79. Therefore, he didn't have much emotional fluctuation regarding Audrey Hepburn's illness. As long as they followed the doctor's orders, the rest was up to fate.

Without much consideration, and without consulting anyone, Audrey Hepburn said resolutely: "Doctor, I am willing to undergo surgery."

"Good, then we will schedule Ms. Hepburn for surgery in two days."

Immediately, nursing staff wheeled Ms. Hepburn back to her private room.

In fact, since the examinations began, Audrey Hepburn had been staying in a room at the medical center. Then, a series of examinations were carried out in quick succession.

Unlike general hospitals, where you open an examination item and then arrange a separate time for the check-up. Once the check-up is done, you register to arrange another consultation time. If you still feel there are doubts, then you arrange other examination items, and then the previous process starts all over again.

It can be said that just with this back-and-forth of examinations, diagnoses, more examinations, and more diagnoses, patients with worse luck could potentially die halfway through, before treatment has even begun.

But the medical center's speed is very fast; as long as you are on the schedule, except for the time required for analysis and testing which cannot be saved, as soon as there is a result, the doctor will explain it to the patient as soon as possible. It’s as if a dedicated doctor is serving only one patient.

In fact, it is almost exactly that situation; the doctor-to-patient ratio at the medical center is very low. Precisely because of this, they have extremely high medical quality. Those who can register are either wealthy or noble, or their conditions are very special, making the doctors here interested.

With the consultation speed of a medical center like this, the reason the surgery is scheduled for two days later is because abdominal surgery requires the patient to fast. Otherwise, food residue could potentially affect the patient, and the doctors don't really want to do the job of a dung-scooper...

Back in the room, Audrey Hepburn still simply told her little assistant about her situation. After all, he was someone by her side, and it wouldn't be good if he were completely in the dark.

After listening, Henry asked: "Boss, do you need me to notify anyone else?"

The lady thought for a moment and said: "Help me notify Sean and Luca. No need for anyone else."

Audrey Hepburn's two children; these could be considered the most important and closest men in her life. As for other ex-husbands or friends, the lady didn't want to disturb any of them.

Henry, of course, had no objections; he left Robert, the man closest to the lady, and went to make the calls himself.

But in fact, Audrey Hepburn's movements were still being watched by many people. Although it didn't go so far as to attract paparazzi or news media, Henry's pager (B.B. Call) almost never stopped.

Having been by Ms. Hepburn's side for over a year, he knew pretty much who the lady's friends were and how close they were.

So Henry, following the lady's usual habits, only replied to those old friends with closer relationships. However, he only told these people that Ms. Hepburn was undergoing treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and didn't say much else.

He only notified Sean Ferrer and Luca Dotti of the news that surgery would be performed in two days.

These two young masters were, of course, not indifferent toward their mother, and they also asked in detail about the illness. Henry relayed what Ms. Hepburn had told him to the two young masters.

Almost at the end of the calls, both young masters decided to book the fastest flights and fly to Los Angeles as soon as possible.

For Sean Ferrer, who was a European film producer, he could just leave whenever he wanted. But Luca Dotti was still studying at university and had to ask for leave first.

However, this part had nothing to do with Henry. Those two young masters were both adults and could handle their own affairs. Besides, he was just an assistant, not a butler for the Hepburn family, so he didn't need to manage things that broadly.