RogerCarignan

Diabetic with an out-of-control blood pressure and an unhealthy weight of 260 pounds, Roger Carignan’s primary care physician suggested he see Dr. Vishnu Yelamanchi for a stress test. “The day I did the stress test I was sent right to the hospital for an angioplasty,” Roger says. “After the first one, I had two others.”

Afterward, Roger saw Dr. Yelamanchi only a few more times before being referred to a different cardiologist, but their paths would cross again on Nov. 4th, 2004. “I woke up feeling like I had the flu, and the feeling wasn’t going away. I took a couple of aspirins, but that didn’t really help,” says the 79-year-old Villages resident. “When I walked in to see my primary care physician, I was short of breath. He immediately did an EKG (electrocardiogram), and three minutes later, he was calling the ambulance. I had suffered a major heart attack.”

As Roger fought for his life, Dr. Yelamanchi happened to be the cardiologist on call at the hospital. “He was there and he recognized my wife. He told her I had a one percent chance of survival,” Roger says as he wipes away tears. “But this man — as great as he is — pulled me through.”

Since then, Roger has undergone a triple bypass, lost over 50 pounds, and has changed his entire outlook on life, all thanks to Dr Yelamanchi. “Right now, I feel great. Dr. Yelamanchi saved my life and gave me a new lease,” he says. “It has been eight and a half years, and I’m just so thankful for what he did for me. He really turned my life around.”