My name is Bill Wagoner and I have lived in Chapala for approximately five years now. For quite sometime now I was having severe difficulty breathing, eating and sleeping. But more recently my balance seemed to be going bad and I found myself frequently stumbling. A good friend of mine Sasha Conway, was worried enough about my deteriorating health that she took it upon herself to help me find the care I needed. Sasha proceeded to set up an appointment for me with Dr. Santiago Hernandez at Chapala Med.

Now, I hadn’t heard of him but I was given his address and I rode my bicycle to his office. We met in the waiting room of his building, he greeted me as if we were old friends and I immediately liked him. We went back to his office, we sat and spoke briefly about my medical issues. Dr. Santiago noticed I was having a very difficult time breathing. During his physical examination, he listened to my heart and asked me to follow him to another exam room. In moments he said “I think your heart is causing all your problems” but after riding bikes for 60 years I couldn’t bring myself believe what he had just said. The doctor proceeded to hook me up to his EKG machine and there in front of me was the answer. He was right! My heart was beating very erratically and seemed to be all over the place. He diagnosed me with a severe cardiac dysfunction.

Now, I have been to many doctors down here in the Chapala Lakeside area, but I never met one doctor who seemed to know my body so well especially after such a brief amount of time spent with me. Doctor Hernandez finished my EKG and said to me “Bill if you had been my patient prior to today, I would have had you in the Hospitalized quite some time ago”. He proceeded to explain the seriousness of my condition and the need for further diagnostic testing and treatment that needed to be done in a modern hospital setting. He stated that if I didn’t follow his recommendations, I would be placing my life and well-being at risk.

My resources were limited (I lived on a fixed income) so he suggested I use the resources I had and get back to the U.S. in order to take advantage of my V.A. (Veteran’s Admin) insurance. He also asked me if I had ridden my bicycle down there, I said yes. He did not allow me to physically exert myself any further so he had his nurse call me a cab in order to get back home.

I briefly thought that the testing he asked for may not have been needed but I heeded his words and followed his recommendations. So, to jump to the end of the story, I put myself on a plane and headed to the V.A. in Oklahoma City within 48 hours of my office visit with Dr. Hernandez.. I went straight to the Emergency room at the VA hospital from the airport. Upon my arrival to the VA hospital the ER doctor and head of cardiology confirmed Dr. Hernandez’s diagnoses and had me promptly wheeled to the Cardiac ICU, where I spent two weeks. They informed me that I almost died the day I arrived in Oklahoma. Without a doubt I can say that Dr. Santiago Hernandez SAVED MY LIFE. My four grand kids, two daughters and I thank him so much. So, it is without any hesitation that I recommend Dr. Santiago Hernandez as a your physician, especially if you have serious health issues, as I did prior to seeing him.

With my all life and respect,

William A. Wagoner