With Gratitude

Ella & Jacek Give Back to Help Others Survive

The bond between Ella Zganiacz and her husband, Jacek, is deep. Immigrants from Poland, they arrived separately in this country almost 40 years ago in their mid-twenties. Ella taught English as a Second Language in Brooklyn, and Jacek studied classical piano at Julliard. Shortly after a friend introduced them, Ella traveled back to Poland to care for her sick father. When she returned to New York, Jacek called, and after two dates he proposed. “It was the best decision I ever made,” he said.

They’ve been inseparable ever since. Jacek performed at Carnegie Hall and other prestigious venues across the U.S. and Poland, forging a successful career in finance at the same time. He also got his pilot’s license, and nearly twenty years ago became a commercial airline pilot. Partly due to his busy schedule, Jacek and Ella have always texted one another their whereabouts.

In January 2023, Ella let Jacek know that she was on her way home from yoga class. When she hadn’t arrived a half hour later, he knew something was amiss. Jacek called several times but got no answer. He was about to drive to the yoga studio when two police officers knocked on the door.

The officers said Ella was safe, miraculously, but in serious condition. She’d been seen driving erratically on the highway, and somehow her car had come to a stop in a muddy field near an exit ramp. Disoriented, Ella was taken to the local hospital where doctors stabilized her and diagnosed a ruptured brain aneurysm. Within a few hours, she was transferred to Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) for highly specialized neurological care overseen by Charles Matouk, MD, Professor of Neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine and Chief, Neurovascular Surgery at YNHH.

Over the next four weeks, Ella endured multiple complicated procedures and dozens of scans and advanced imaging protocols in the Intensive Care Unit at YNHH. Early on, surgeons installed a temporary drain to relieve a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid. She experienced multiple complications, including a blood clot that threatened to cause amputation of her left arm. Her doctors explained that while Ella’s case wasn’t the most serious in the ICU, it was the most complex, requiring three separate teams of specialists to coordinate the best course of action.

Throughout this stressful and unpredictable period, Jacek’s Catholic faith sustained him, and he spent a lot of time in prayer, often saying to himself, “Even if there is another log on the road to Ella’s recovery, it will be thrown into the fire of hope.”

Ella’s brain had to be re-trained, and her strength rebuilt, to accomplish even basic tasks like walking and participating in conversation. But she was determined, and Jacek spent most of each day by her side, his steadfast love, support, and lighthearted sense of humor putting Ella and her caregiving team at ease.

After a month, Ella was well enough to leave the ICU. She spent a week on a less acute floor at YNHH before being transferred to a local rehabilitation hospital. A week later, when Jacek could finally take her home, she remembered the garage code, a hopeful moment they both recall with a smile.

Ella’s hard work was an inspiration to all throughout her journey. Jacek, too, was confident, “It will take some time, maybe a long time, but the day will come when my wife will be her beautiful self again.” Early on, Jacek was told her recovery might take two years and that Ella might need a wheelchair indefinitely. Ella had a different idea. She recovered—physically and cognitively—in three months and has walked unassisted ever since.

Now, life has returned to normal, though Ella still has no memory of the accident or her six weeks in the hospital. She looks after their beloved cats, volunteers, and travels near and far to visit family and friends. Ella and Jacek are members of the YNHH Patient and Family Advisory Council, where they share insights on their experience. The YNHH commitment to care for the whole family, not just the patient, made a positive difference for this couple.

Ella and Jacek also give generously to fund training and education of medical professionals at YNHH and to express their overwhelming gratitude for the exceptional care that saved Ella’s life—care that’s not available in their home country, but is standard at Yale New Haven Hospital.