Becky Ebershoff made being healthy a priority. Leading an active lifestyle, her blood pressure and cholesterol levels were normal. She even had a stress test to confirm her heart was working properly, before suffering a heart attack just two months later.
“It never occurred to me that something like this could happen to me,” she says, of the attack, which came on suddenly while she was out of town visiting with family and friends.
Soft plaque in one of her arteries had broken loose, creating a blockage large enough to cause the attack. She did not know what was happening, so she called her doctor at Huntington Hospital, Christine Won, MD. Dr. Won instructed Becky to go to the nearest hospital immediately, where doctors inserted a stent into the artery. This, and the blood-thinning medication she was then prescribed, were life-saving — but only a temporary solution. Three additional arteries were also found to be blocked. She would need triple bypass surgery.
Becky and her husband, David, researched surgeons who perform this procedure before selecting Robbin Cohen, MD, at Huntington Hospital. “You have to have a good doctor and a good plan,” she says. “The more we learned about Dr. Cohen and the hospital, the more convinced we were that this was the right choice.”
Dr. Cohen and his team performed Becky’s open-heart surgery. Advanced anesthesia medication, called a nerve block, was also administered via injection, so Becky experienced “no pain whatsoever,” following the procedure, she notes.
“The experience could not have been better,” Becky says, “and Dr. Cohen and the rest of the staff took the time to explain everything. We’re grateful they were so professional and so understanding.”
Following surgery, Becky utilized some of the many support services available at the hospital for cardiac patients. This included participating in our cardiac rehabilitation program, which offers physician-supervised exercise, nutrition information, and other assistance. “Everything is all in one place,” she says. “They have the whole package: everything to support you physically and mentally. After all this, I wouldn’t even think about going anywhere but Huntington Hospital.”
Now she is back to work and on the road to recovery. As a way of expressing their gratitude, Becky and David have made a generous contribution to the hospital, through our Grateful Hearts program, in honor of Dr. Cohen.
Huntington Hospital offers a full spectrum of cardiology and heart health services. Whether you need a cardiogram or coronary bypass surgery, find a cardiologist or cardiac surgeon from Huntington Hospital.