Everything seemed sorted, but after 13 years of living an active life with his valve replacement, the bovine valve also started to give Benson problems. So, he went in for another round of open-heart surgery. Unfortunately, this second surgery was botched, leading to more surgery between 1998 and 2010.
After his second surgery, he started having difficulty breathing as soon as he awoke. On top of this, his hands were inexplicably tied to the bed, and despite Karla’s objections, the “sadistic” nurse wouldn’t untie him. Eventually, she freed his hands and removed his breathing tubes. Only then could he inform her that he was in terrible pain.
Despite his horrible second surgery, he kept working on new projects and caring for his family. Throughout this time, he struggled with impaired breathing and knew something wasn’t right. Nonetheless, he forged on, knowing that his family relied on him to care for them. So, he started writing and produced two books and a musical.
How Did Karla Devito Save Robby Benson’s Life?
By the time Benson’s third surgery happened, he knew something was wrong with his breathing. He started having more worrying symptoms and spoke to his wife about it. Luckily, Karla was always supportive, and she was ready to listen and help him find a lasting solution. Benson commented about his wife:
“She helped me find doctors, she made sure I was getting the best treatment, the right medicine. I’m alive because of her.”
Eventually, he went in for what doctors thought was stenosis. However, during his third surgery, they realized a valve had been sown on incorrectly, leading to all his problems. Fortunately, the surgery went well, and things seemed to turn out all right. And throughout it all, DeVito stuck with him. Benson said:
“She has walked me through everything and has been my advocate. Without her, I don’t think I would have been able to make it.”
Then, in 2010, Benson had his fourth open-heart surgery. By then, he had, moved away from Los Angeles with his family, and taught at the Tisch Academy of Arts. His final surgery went excellently, and he said of his wife, “When we’re together, and we look into each other’s eyes, and we have one another, we can handle anything. Anything.”
