Heart SPECIAL PROMOTION
VOICES OF THE
FIVE PEOPLE SHARE THEIR STRUGGLES WITH HEART DISEASE One of every three deaths in the U.S. in 2013 was from heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases, while heart disease and stroke were the No. 1 and No. 2 killers worldwide, according to the American Heart Association’s 2016 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update. Produced since 1958, the update is created from the most recent data available and compiled by the AHA, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other government sources. In the U.S., the data showed the following: • Cardiovascular diseases claimed 801,000 lives. • Heart disease killed more than 370,000 people. • Stroke killed nearly 129,000 people. • About 116,000 of the 750,000 people in the U.S. who had a heart attack died. • About 795,000 people had a stroke, the leading preventable cause of disability. • Among African-Americans adults, 48 percent of women and 46 percent of men have some form of cardiovascular disease. • African-Americans have nearly twice the risk for a first-time stroke than Caucasians. Over the decades, the statistical update has expanded to include information about health disparities, the global impact of cardiovascular disease, and risk factors. The update now tracks health factors and behaviors known to contribute to good cardiovascular health, referred to by the AHA as Life’s Simple 7. These include smoking status, physical activity, healthy diet, body weight, and control of cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. On the pages that follow, we share the stories of five Birminghamians who have battled cardiovascular disease. Their voices and stories are a microcosm of American health as patients and physicians struggle to overcome the country’s top killers.
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Angie Mills
Angie Mills (second from left) and her family.
American Heart Association At age 40, Angie Mills considered herself healthy and active with low cholesterol and no history of diabetes in her family. She was living a happy, normal life with her husband, Bo, and their three children. On Feb. 7, 2015, Mills started experiencing fatigue and chest pain. She went to the doctor to make sure nothing was wrong and her EKG came back normal. However, in the weeks that followed, the fatigue and chest pains continued. She pushed through the pain, thinking it was the flu or simply a product of getting older. One night, Mills went to a dance class and her legs felt so heavy she could barely lift them. Later that night, she was nauseated and sweating to the point that she asked her husband to take her to the ER. She arrived at St. Vincent’s East around 3:30 a.m. “I kept apologizing to the staff there telling them how sorry I was that I had come in and for wasting their time,” Mills says. “I felt like such a drama queen. They did an EKG and checked my heart enzymes; again the EKG was normal, but my heart enzymes were up.” After a heart catheter to check for heart blockages, the cardiologist discovered a 99 percent blockage in Mills’s left main artery. “I will never forget the look on Dr. Reeder’s face when he told me that he was so sorry, that it was the worst case scenario and that they were going to do open heart surgery. I said ‘When?’ and he said, ‘Right now.’” Mills was in the Cardiac ICU for four days, where they performed a triple bypass and took the saphenous vein from her left leg and the internal mammary artery from her chest to bypass the blockage. “The ICU team kept calling me their little ‘miracle child.’ It was a miracle that I had gone to the ER; it was a miracle that I got to the hospital just in time for them to catch this deadly blockage.” Mills completed a cardiac rehab program and is now trying to be as healthy as possible. Her advice to anyone feeling fatigued for more than a few days or having chest pain/ pressure is to go to the hospital immediately. “Most women, especially young women, never live to tell about their heart attacks, so I am here to represent all those who didn’t make it,” Mills says. “I was one of the lucky ones, but just barely. I have been given a second chance at life and I don’t want to waste it; that is why I feel so passionate about sharing my story.”
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Angie Mills shares her story regularly as a passionate volunteer and champion for women’s heart health for the American Heart Association. The American Heart Association reminds you to know your risk for cardiovascular disease, the number one killer of women. While 1 in 3 women die from heart disease, 80 percent of all heart issues are preventable. Get more info at heart.org/birminghamgored.
David Sims
St. Vincent’s Health System David Sims enjoys gardening, fishing, hunting, watching Alabama football, and spending time with his wife, Ginger, and their two children, Raechel and Nathan. He has worked at Lehigh Cement Company in Leeds for the past 19 years as a quality control technician and is 52 years old. In July of 2015, Sims went to his primary care doctor, Dr. Tom Perkins, for an annual checkup. After an EKG, he was referred for an echocardiogram. It was then that his life changed. “As the technician was performing the task she, in hindsight, knew something was wrong right off because we went from talking about football to her asking if I had been having any discomfort in my chest, neck, or back or shortness of breath,” Sims says. Following the echocardiogram, Dr. Brian Flowers from Birmingham Heart Clinic came in and told Sims that he had a massive ascending root aortic aneurysm and he should go
straight to the emergency room. “This was such a huge shock to me because I did not have any symptoms,” Sims recalls. After arriving at St. Vincent’s East ER, Sims underwent a CT scan, which confirmed the aneurysm. Sims was then admitted to the hospital and the next morning, surgeon Dr. John Harlon told him that he needed surgery as well as an arteriogram, an imaging test to view his arteries. The seven-hour surgery was successful and Sims was released from the hospital Aug. 18. He returned to work in November. “This experience has taught me to appreciate every day, and it has brought my family and friends closer together,” Sims said. His advice for anyone going through a similar experience is to appreciate your support system and focus on staying active as much as you can. “Do not let your condition stand in the way of your happiness, and when you are feeling depressed, remember that you have a support system that wants to help,” he says. Sims says part of his support system was the staff at St. Vincent’s; he says he felt he was in excellent hands due to the expert care and attention he received there. “I want to thank my family and friends for being there for me through everything, as well as the nurses, doctors, and other medical staff that helped me during my time at St. Vincent’s East. You will all always hold a special place in my heart,” says Sims. Serving the community for more than 117 years, St. Vincent’s Health System has a longstanding reputation of caring for hearts as the
Heart care in Birmingham has a new home. Alvaro A. Aldana, M.D., F.A.C.C.
Looking for heart specialists in Birmingham? Like many of the area’s
Joaquin G. Arciniegas, M.D., F.A.C.C.
most notable physicians, the Alabama Cardiovascular Group is now
Vikram J. Arora, M.D., F.A.C.C.
settling into their new offices in the Grandview Physicians Plaza.
Juan M. Bernal, M.D., MSc., F.A.C.C. Hasan GĂźven, M.D., F.A.C.C. Byron D. Jones, M.D., F.A.C.C. Christopher A. King, M.D., F.A.C.C. William A.H. MacLean, M.D., F.A.C.C. Jose Osorio, M.D. Anil B. Rajendra, M.D., F.A.C.C. James L. Taylor, M.D., F.A.C.C. W. Hansford Watford, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.C.
3686 Grandview Parkway, Suite 720 Birmingham, AL 35243
205-971-7500 alcardio.com
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HE ONCE UPDATED HIS DAD’S SMART PHONE, TABLET AND LAPTOP IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. ALL WITHOUT LEAVING THE COMFORT OF HIS FOOTIE PAJAMAS. C H I L D R E N A M A Z E U S E V E R Y D AY and at Children’s of Alabama we want to see every child grow up and live to their fullest potential. That’s why we recruit, train and retain the most inquiring minds, the most skilled hands and the most compassionate hearts in pediatric medicine. 1600 7TH AVENUE SOUTH BIRMINGHAM, AL 35233 (205) 638-9100 ChildrensAL.org
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O O U R P H Y S I C I A N S NAMED TO B-METRO’S “TOP DOCTORS.”
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David Sims
heart experts. By combining the experience and knowledge of our physicians with the latest in cutting-edge technology, we offer cardiovascular expertise with the care and compassion that is uniquely St. Vincent’s. It’s this expertise that has led to St. Vincent’s Health System being named the first and only health system in the nation to hold the highest Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC)’s heart accreditations in all three areas. St. Vincent’s Birmingham and St. Vincent’s East hold the highest level available in AFib with EPS, Heart Failure, and Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation. St. Vincent’s Blount and St. Vincent’s St. Clair hold Chest Pain Center accreditation. This prestigious accreditation is based on meeting and exceeding stringent quality and outcome cardiovascular measures on an ongoing basis. Learn more at stvhs.com/heart, or for a physician referral call St. Vincent’s Dial-ANurse at (205) 939-7878.
Gabrielle Bolden Children’s of Alabama
When Gabrielle “Gabby” Bolden was just 3 months old, she was diagnosed with pediatric myocarditis, an inflammation of the muscle tissue of the heart (typically due to a virus). In 2010, at the age of 2, Gabby was also diagnosed with congenital heart failure, but both conditions were managed well with medication. But in March of 2015, when she was 6 years old, her condition worsened. Her doctors at Children’s of Alabama eventually diagnosed her with two viruses—RSV and the rhino virus—which had both wreaked havoc on her already weak heart. The next step was a heart transplant; in June of 2015, Gabby was placed on the organ transplant list and spent much of her time waiting at Children’s. “While Gabby was hospitalized, she made new friends and learned to speak some Spanish, actually making the best out of a hospital stay a 9/21/15 1:50 PM
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little sick girl could,” says her mom, Gail Dennis. “The Children’s Harbor Family Services Center on the second floor of the Children’s Harbor Building became her ‘vacation spot,’ where kids are able to play games. There’s a nap room (for parents) and several other fun activities.” Gabby’s hospital stay lasted three months, after which she was able to come home with
Gabby Bolden
an IV bag delivering her medications. She started school in August of 2015, but on Aug. 18, her family got the call they’d been waiting for: There was a heart for Gabby. “This was a bittersweet moment for me as a mother. With my every breath, I was praying for a donor, but the reality of knowing that a donor was available meant a brave family has made the decision to donate the organ of their child/family member,” Dennis shares. That day, Gabby was admitted back into Children’s, this time to receive her new heart. The surgery was a success. These days, Gabby is able to do things she never could before. “Gabby has always been a happy, vibrant little girl who yearns to learn new things. She’s always been willing to try anything, but because of her heart condition, activities were limited,” Dennis says. “She is now planning so many things to try: soccer, gymnastics, piano, jump rope, riding her bike for an extended period of time, skating. She says, ‘The sky is the limit, now that I have a good heart.’” Dennis says watching Gabby flourish is an incredible experience, one she wasn’t sure she’d ever get to see. “For any parent who has a child who is waiting for any type of organ transplant or cure of a disease: Never give up!” Dennis says. “The wait is not an easy one, but for me, it was made easier because of the Children’s of Alabama (staff and patients),
along with family and friends and my place of employment. They all helped to make our wait time a peaceful one and much less stressful.” The Joseph S. Bruno Heart Center located in the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children physically links the Children’s of Alabama pediatric cardiac center with the newborn suites of the Women and Infants Center and to the adult congenital heart surgery facilities at UAB, providing a continuum of care for patients with congenital heart disease and allowing a multidisciplinary team of specialists to move efficiently from one end of the platform to the other. The center includes two dedicated cardiac operating rooms, two catheterization labs, a state-of-the-art hybrid cath lab/operating suite, a 20-room cardiovascular intensive care unit, a 16-bed step-down unit, and four suites dedicated to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Patients receive care from a specialized pediatric cardiac support team including respiratory therapists, child life specialists, social work, pharmacists, dietitian, and speech, occupational and physical therapists. More than 450 cardiac surgeries, 700 cardiac catheterizations, and 14,000 echocardiograms are performed each year. In 2015, eight heart transplants and three ventricular assist device procedures were performed.
stvhs.com/heart
Only one health system in the
NATION can say it has three heart
ACCREDITATIONS at the highest level.
US.
By meeting the highest level of qualifications, St. Vincent’s* has received all three accreditations from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. That means our standard of care is nationally recognized and that our doctors, technology, and techniques are high quality. And that’s why we are The Heart Experts.
THE HEART EXPERTS
*St. Vincent’s Birmingham & East hold the highest level available in AFib with EPS, Heart Failure, and Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation. St. Vincent’s Blount and St. Clair hold Chest Pain Center accreditation.
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Bonnie Whitehead
Grandview Medical Center Family has always been important to Bonnie Whitehead. Raising her daughter and watching her grandson grow up filled her with joy. She now has a great-granddaughter to spend time with as well. Whitehead also has a heart for rescuing animals and spends a lot of her time outdoors tending to her yard. But Whitehead’s life was threatened one day this past year. She began feeling very tired and constantly out of breath. “I thought it was
percent better. She does sometimes get a little worried her heart troubles will come back. Should she begin to feel symptoms again, she says she’ll go straight to Grandview. She feels confident with the expert care and attention she received there. From the moment she stepped into Grandview Medical Center, she felt extremely well taken care of. “Everybody in the office and hospital was nice to me. I couldn’t have asked for better treatment at Grandview,” Whitehead says. Fitted with the latest technologies in medicine, 372-bed Grandview Medical Center opened in October 2015 to serve residents of Birmingham and surrounding communities. Conveniently located on Highway 280, Grandview offers diverse specialties from heart care to labor and delivery to roboticassisted surgery. Specialty units include a Level III trauma center, certified Chest Pain Center, recognized stroke center, cardiac cath lab and neonatal, surgical, and medical intensive care. For more information, visit GrandviewHealth.com
Jim Moebes UAB Medicine Bonnie Whitehead just because I had been working overtime a lot,” says Whitehead, who has been working for 39 years at the Southeast Alabama Medical Center. “But when I went for my regular doctor’s visit in August, they had to run some tests.” The doctor advised Whitehead to go to Grandview Medical Center, where she had a series of tests, including EKGs and echocardiograms. “They tried to straighten me out with medicine at first,” Whitehead says. “And I felt good for a few days, but then I could hardly walk five or six feet without totally being out of breath.” In a matter of three months, Whitehead underwent more tests and hospital visits than she had in her entire life. She was worried because she was asthmatic and had sleep apnea. Eventually, she underwent a procedure called a cardiac ablation, which corrects heart rhythm problems. “Dr. Anil Rajendra came in and talked to me and my daughter before and after the procedure, so we felt very comfortable,” Whitehead remembers. The procedure was a success and Whitehead has her life back—she says she feels 100 102
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Jim Moebes had no idea anything was wrong with his heart. By 2009, Moebes, now 74, was winding down a long and distinguished career in academics and ministry. A graduate of Samford University and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, he holds a masters and doctorate from the University of Alabama. Early in his career, Moebes worked in administrative positions at Alabama, as associate dean of students at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, and as dean of students, assistant dean for academic affairs and assistant to the president at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Moving full time into ministry, he came to Birmingham as executive minister of Mountain Brook Baptist Church in 1975, and after six years became senior minister at the church. He retired in 2011. But before retirement, Moebes began struggling with heart ailments. “I had no idea at all that there was anything wrong with my heart. In 2009 I was asymptomatic on any heart difficulties. I had a physical and my doctors said they saw something on my tests that concerned them,” Moebes says. After an arteriogram, Moebes had three bypasses. After a few years, and despite no problems with the bypasses, Moebes began to feel noticeably
weaker. In May 2015, he collapsed after a meeting at the church and had to have CPR administered by a physician friend who just happened to be there. “I was experiencing congestive heart failure and did not realize it. I went to UAB Hospital, where I discovered I needed to have my aortic valve replaced.” Moebes’s physicians were Dr. James Davies, Dr. Oluseun Alli, and Dr. Mark Sasse. Moebes had a procedure done called a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Patients who are too old or weak to undergo surgery had few options until the TAVR procedure, which was recently approved by the FDA. The new procedure eliminates the need for open heart surgery and offers a shorter recovery time. TAVR is a method of replacing malfunctioning heart valves without large incisions and without use of the heartlung machine. UAB was the first Jim Moebes in Alabama to offer this procedure and has performed more than any other hospital in the state. The University Healthcare Consortium recently ranked UAB’s TAVR program among the top 10 in the country. The operation was done on July 16, 2015, and Moebes was discharged three days later. “I was in rehab from a few weeks after surgery until about the end of 2015. Rehab was great for my recovery. I have been very careful in keeping all my appointments with all of the physicians,” he says. “I try to watch my diet as I am diabetic. I try to take my medications properly and do everything the doctor ask me to do. It has been a good recovery.” From hypertension to heart transplant, UAB Heart and Vascular Services encompasses the complete spectrum of cardiovascular care, delivered by UAB Medicine’s world-renowned, highly specialized physicians, treating patients from across Alabama, the Southeastern U. S., and beyond. UAB cardiologists provide personalized, primary cardiology services on campus at The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital and at UAB Hospital-Highlands —and at the UAB Heart & Vascular Clinic at Acton Road, conveniently located just off I-459, where appointments are available within one week with no physician referral required. More information can be found at uabmedicine.org/heart.