Pelvic surgery specialists repair fistulas and other severe complications after delayed pessary removal

Anthoula Douvalakis’ healthcare nightmare started at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, during one of her regular visits to Greece. After growing up in Chicago and raising her three boys here, Douvalakis, 75, began to periodically visit her homeland, spending several weeks to months at a time in Thessaloniki. She never had problems returning to the United States until travel between Greece and the U.S. was largely suspended in 2020 due to the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.