My mother is very independent, healthy and focused on her longevity. But, on May 24, 2019, at 82, she had triple bypass surgery. This came completely out of left field for our family. She was given a routine stress test by her cardiologist Dr. Prasad Chalasani. He found the results disturbing so he performed a heart catheterization and found three blockages, 100%, 90% and 60%, and due to the length of the blockages, a heart stint was out of the question. Dr. Chalasani referred her to Dr. William Heitman and his team at Lawnwood.
From the minute he met our mother, Dr. William Heitman was thorough in his discussion of her condition, the possible outcomes of performing a triple bypass on an 82-year old, as well as discussing her recovery time very realistically. He talked to her- not just to my brother who accompanied her to her first consult. He answered their questions clearly, putting my mother at ease (as much as possible) about having the surgery. He assured her that he would not operate on her if he didn't think she could recover 100%.
On the day of the surgery, Dr. Heitman and his team greeted my mother and discussed her surgery with her, my brother, and myself. Dr. Heitman was reassuring and professional. And, he also gave us a bit of insight about what drove him to become a thoracic surgeon. His mother had her first bypass surgery in her 50's, then a second in her 70's, only to live 20+ more years. This willingness to share his personal history about his mother impacted both my brother and me. We knew that he got into this business for the right reasons, and that when he held our mother's heart in his hands, he was motivated by the love for his own mother. He incited trust.
After the surgery, Dr. Heitman met us in the CVICU waiting room to discuss my mother's condition. She had come through the surgery extraordinarily well, the procedure took less time than he first thought and that my mother's heart was in amazing condition for her age. He noted that my mother was very healthy and that her tissue was "young". Such a relief.
Once the surgery was done, the work my mother had to do was a little daunting. But, Dr. Heitman helped by not just focusing on the actual surgery, but also setting the bar high for the standard of care during her recovery. The nurses in the CVICU were all very familiar with Dr. Heitman's protocols for his patients and were all complimentary of his skills and expertise. My mother's incision was "beautiful"-it really was! And, she received the standard of care Dr. Heitman requires for his patients while in the hospital. He even walked her down the hall a few times; such personal care motivated my mother to stay focused on getting well. On the day she was being released, we had a death in our family. I called Dr. Heitman and he was so lovely in helping me navigate how to tell my mother. He assured me that her heart was strong, and that she could handle it. That told me that Dr. Heitman took time to really get to know my mother. So reassuring.
But, wait! It doesn't stop there! My mother's home health care nurse, Joy (from Trilogy) was trained in Dr. Heitman's protocols, so the quality of care my mother received after I brought her home was the same high standard Dr. Heitman holds himself to. He really looks at the whole--from pre-op, to surgery, to ICU, to home recovery. Dr. Heitman is a life saver. Truly. We thank him for saving our precious mother.
--Janas Durkee, Alan Smith, Les Smith, Brenda Jordan, Shelly Alcorn read more
