10/11/2026
Dear Sandstone Family,
This past week has been a hard one for all of us. Our Cypress doctor, Dr. Shawn Delk, experienced a serious medical emergency involving a rare lung infection that nearly took his life.
Shawn spent more than a week in the ICU. At one point, the emergency physician described his prognosis as “grave.” In medicine, that’s about as serious a word as there is, and it’s not one you ever want to hear about someone you care about. In medical terms, “grave” means that a patient's condition is extremely serious, with a significant risk of death.
I’ve been in practice for nearly 30 years, and I have never come this close to losing one of our doctors. This experience has been a sobering reminder of just how fragile life can be. We all get so caught up in schedules, numbers, and the day-to-day that it’s easy to forget how quickly everything can change. What matters most is the people: our families, our friends, and the people we work beside every day.
The good news is that Shawn is making remarkable progress. He still has some recovery ahead of him, but with things moving in the right direction, we hope to have him back seeing patients as early as Tuesday. Knowing Shawn, he’s been ready to get back to his patients since about day two.
To our doctors and team members who stepped in to cover for Shawn: thank you. Nobody hesitated. That’s who we are, and I couldn’t be prouder of this team.
To our Cypress patients: thank you for your patience and kindness while we rearranged schedules and worked through this. I know changes to your care can be frustrating, and I’m sorry for the disruption. We’ll be back to our normal schedule as soon as Shawn is able.
Please keep Shawn and his family in your thoughts as he continues to recover.
Thank you for being part of the Sandstone family.
Dr. Tony DeRamus