For years, pain quietly took pieces of Ben L.’s life.

At 43, Ben was an active truck driver, lifelong builder, devoted husband, and proud father of two boys, ages 14 and 10. But after surgery for severe diverticulitis at a hospital near his New York home, Ben was left with multiple hernias that worsened over time. What followed were years of escalating complications, repeated procedures, infections, and abscesses that left him weaker each month.

“I went from doing everything I loved to barely getting out of bed,” Ben said.

Despite undergoing another major hernia repair at a well-known New York City medical center, Ben’s condition continued to deteriorate. His infections went undetected, and at one point he was carrying more than two liters of infected fluid in his abdomen. He lost his job. He grew sicker. And again and again, he was told there was nothing more doctors could do.

That changed in January 2026, when Ben’s case was shared with Dr. Andrew Robinson, Director of the Hernia Center at Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center. Ben had never heard of Overlook, but Dr. Robinson immediately recognized a solution.

Just days later, Ben underwent a complex, hours-long procedure using the da Vinci® 5 robotic surgical system, the most advanced FDA‑cleared robotic technology available today. With real-time touch feedback and extraordinary precision, Dr. Robinson removed infected mesh and drained multiple abscesses, both inside and outside Ben’s abdomen.

When Ben woke up, he felt the difference immediately.

“I felt like a completely different person,” he said. “For the first time in years, I wasn’t sick or scared.”

The recovery that followed felt nothing short of miraculous. Ben is now healing beautifully, back to his hobbies, present with his kids, and expected to make a full recovery, with no more surgeries ahead.

“Dr. Robinson saved my life,” Ben said. “I thought I was running out of time. And he fixed everything in one day.”

What stays with Ben just as much as the surgery is how he was treated at Overlook.

“Everyone cared,” he said. “From the nurses to the people who cleaned my room, I felt safe. You don’t see that everywhere.”

Ben passed several major medical centers to receive care at Overlook. It was right here, in the community, that advanced technology, specialized expertise, and compassionate care came together to give him a second chance at life.

That is the power of giving.

Generous supporters help ensure that when someone is told there are no more options, hope is still possible, and healing is within reach.