August 12, 2026
Local access to leading-edge care made all the difference for this southern Indiana patient
IU Health Bloomington Hospital
Christopher McMichael has lived in southern Indiana his entire life and spent 24 years working in medical imaging at IU Health Bloomington. He’s seen firsthand the impact this team has on the community and recently experienced that care from the patient side. He says it gave him “a new lease on life.”
In April 2026, McMichael was referred to otolaryngologists Ahmed Ibrahim, MD, and Mohamad Saltagi, MD, for surgery to remove a cancerous tonsil.
“I was particularly relieved and impressed that he would be utilizing the DaVinci XI remote robotic system to ensure my surgery would be as minimally invasive as possible,” says McMichael.
“A year or two ago patients were either offered high dose chemo and radiation or referred to Indianapolis for this surgery,” shares Dr. Ibrahim.
He says this can be hard for patients because they must travel for the procedure, stay there during recovery and return for follow up appointments.
One month after the first consultation, McMichael had his surgery in Bloomington. Dr. Ibrahim and Dr. Saltagi removed the cancerous tonsil and all cancerous lymph nodes.
“Originally in many of these cases we had to go through the neck and do a very invasive surgery,” says Dr. Ibrahim. “Now we can approach the tumors through the mouth which gives better access, is less invasive, and has shown to have better recovery and functional outcomes for patients.”
After surgery, McMichael spent two days in the intensive care unit for observation. Since then, he has only had minor sensitivities and has learned he will not need additional radiation due to the success of the surgery.
“I cannot stress enough the exemplary care and treatment I received by Dr. Ibrahim, his team, and all the nurses at IU Health Bloomington. The care and concern they showed for my treatment and recovery during my ordeal with throat cancer was second to none,” says McMichael. “We are so lucky to have such an exceptional hospital located right in our community.”
