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"It was the last day in July 2014 and I was looking forward to my morning swim. I had joined the Masters Swim Team and enjoyed each practice’s challenging workout. About 45 minutes into our swim, we started a set of very strenuous laps. Just three or four strokes into the first lap, I felt an excruciating pain in my chest — as if someone had punched me hard just below my throat.
I stopped mid-stroke and instantly felt better. Still, I was very concerned. Two years earlier, I had undergone a cardiac procedure, in which stents were used to open up two vessels in my heart. Up until this moment, I had felt great — maintaining my law practice, traveling with my wife, Carol, and, of course, swimming. To be safe, I left the pool, showered, ate a quick breakfast and then visited my cardiologist, Dr. Gerber, at The Heart Center.
It didn’t take long for Dr. Gerber to assess my situation. He sedated me and then arranged for what felt like The Guinness Book of World Records’ shortest ambulance ride to the Emergency Room at Vassar Brothers Medical Center.
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There, a flurry of tests confirmed Dr. Gerber’s suspicion: The pain in my chest was caused by an aortic rupture. This a life-threatening condition caused by a rupture in the inner layer of the aorta, the largest blood vessel branching off the heart.
Fortunately, I was in the right place. The cardiothoracic team jumped into action. My surgeon, Dr. Peter Zakow, explained that he was going to patch the tear and that I would soon be as good as new.
He was right. Eight days after the surgery, I returned home; a week later, I was back at work on a part-time basis.
I credit my full recovery to the excellent care I received every step of the way – from the ER, cardiothoracic and nursing teams at Vassar Brothers, to my wife and children, who were my first-class caregivers at home.
Today, I am as active as ever — at work, at the gym and in the pool.
Thank you, Vassar Brothers Medical Center!" |
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