Right now, my face is on billboards here in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. A commercial featuring my story plays on TV stations throughout our area. I am “The New Face of Heartcare” for Pocono Medical Center, and I am a walking miracle, thanks to Dr. Nche Zama and his cardiac team and the hospital staff at PMC. I had a total aortic dissection– from inside my heart down to my groin (my femoral artery). Dr. Zama replaced my aortic arch and aortic valve and reattached every organ to my aorta. This all happened on April 14, 2009 at 58. Within three months, I was biking. Today, ten months later, I have already skied 40 times this season.
Dr. Zama tells me that the reason I am alive today is because of timing. He is so humble. (His brilliance tops my list of reasons.) Within 15 minutes of the ambulance’s arrival into the emergency room of PMC, I was being whisked into the operating room. Dr. Zama, who heads the cardio-thorasic unit at PMC, had specifically trained the emergency room staff to be alert to the signs of aortic dissections. He had told them that he never wanted an aortic dissection to go misdiagnosed in that hospital (as you’ve probably read on this site, misdiagnoses is one of the biggest problems).
Dr. Nancy Gabana, the attending emergency room doctor, immediately recognized my condition and used her cell phone to call Dr. Zama’s cell phone. Within seconds, he was shouting orders to prep me for surgery.
As every one of your testimonials state, timing (and the right medical team) is key.
I was conscious (and even talking, they tell me), even as I was being wheeled into surgery. I remember nothing of all this. My wife tells me the details, and she says what helped to pull her through the two days of surgery (first day, to replace the arch and valve, etc; second day to pull away all of the “padding” around all of the sutures and re-close my chest) and the week I was in the hospital, was reading the information on your website.
My dissection occurred while I was teaching my high school anthropology class. In the middle of my lecture, I felt a searing pain, like a hot zipper, rip down my chest, and moments later the pain went to my back. I have back problems (and have had two back surgeries, including a spinal fusion on my upper back), so I thought something had happened to my back. So I told my class, “I’m going to lie down on the floor, because I can’t fall off of the floor.” I talked with the school nurse and administrators who had rushed to my side, and told them about the pain in my back while we waited for the ambulance.
Ironically, on that morning of April 14, 2009, I had started with my usual teaching routine. I began the class with a quote on the whiteboard. That day, I had selected one of my favorites for my philosophy and anthropology classes—a quote by Woody Allen: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your future plans.”
In less than three hours, the truth of that quote would hit me like a bolt of lightening.
I had only 45 days left until I retired, ending a 36 year career in the classroom. Yes, I was making “future plans.”
The morning went as usual, and by 9:00 a.m., I was in full teaching mode. Suddenly, a pain–much like a hot zipper—ripped through my chest cavity. Three days later, I awoke in the Cardiac Unit of Pocono Medical Center, and my first words were, “What happened to me?” My next question was, “Will I ever ski again”?
Seven days after entering that emergency room, I was discharged. Each day, I gained strength. The cardiac physical therapy (for six weeks) accelerated my progress. By Memorial Day, six weeks later, I was flat-water kayaking.
I know how fortunate I am to be alive. Dr. Zama explained to me that my surgery was more complex than doing 50 heart transplants at once.
I also know how fortunate I am to have suffered NO damage to my organs. The only signs of my dissection are fading scars on my chest and down my leg (although Dr. Zama didn’t need the vein he had removed from my leg) and the light thumping sound of the valve in my chest (I’m getting used to the sound). Also, my fingers and toes get cold when skiing because of the blood thinners.
Did I have any warning signs before the complete dissection? Probably. I had been feeling some pain in my back and numbness in my left arm prior to the event. But anyone with back problems can tell you that back sufferers live with such pain, and the numbness would last for only about five minutes.
I am so proud that Pocono Medical Center is using local media to let me tell my story to my community. Our hospital has grown from a community hospital to a top medical center.
What happened to me is a case of the right people, being in the right places, and most importantly, doing the right things. The team at Pocono Medical Center not only gave me back my life, but they gave me back a life of quality.
Yes, I am now retired. But the truth of the quote “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your future plans” warns us not to focus only on the future, but to live each day to its fullest.
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^You have an amazing story. God has better plans for you I have no doubt. I am so glad I ended up on this site.and read your story. My husband had a heart screening ct scan to check for calcium and an anerysm was seen will see doctor on Monday. keep us in your prayers. I need to find a top notch cardiologist in atlanta,ga. feel nfree to email me and I hope you are getting stronger every day.
The e mail I sent you first was incorrect.