Patient Stories

Penny Higgins, 70, had been experiencing the stereotypical heart attack symptoms that often get ignored—chest pain, indigestion, fatigue.

Brad Hollingsworth tests his limits and always has. The 41-year-old has accomplished amazing physical feats even though he has complete congenital heart block, diagnosed when he was about a year old.

JoAnn Grubb had been active her whole life, but the shortness of breath caused by her narrowing aortic valve was slowing her down. “We’d been following my heart valve problem for a couple of years and finally it was at a place where it had to be replaced,” said JoAnn. She went to Genesis HealthCare System to see a cardiothoracic surgeon on the advice of her regular cardiologist, Dr. Abdulhay Albirini.

Daniel was lightheaded while splitting wood at home. After hearing Daniel’s symptoms and considering his family history, Dr. Pool scheduled a heart catheterization.

Shelba Kane was taken to the Genesis by EMS suffering from chest pain. The Genesis medical team was able to save her life from a heart attack, and Shelba made a full recovery.

Tami Swope woke with an odd tightness in her neck. Describing it as “pressure,” the sensation didn’t go away. When Tami arrived at the emergency department, she lost consciousness, and her heart stopped beating. She was suffering from a widowmaker heart attack.

Don Brauning was exercising at the Genesis Heart & Vascular Rehab Gym and didn’t notice anything was wrong. The heart care team at Genesis did notice and scheduled a stress test right away.

Tom Quinn didn’t have any symptoms and didn’t know he had a threatening heart condition called atrial flutter. Thanks to catheter ablation, Tom’s atrial flutter halted immediately, and he began experiencing improvements in areas he didn’t even know needed improvement.