Gary Cassidy's Amazing Story

When he woke up on a Saturday morning with cold sweats and burning around his jaw, Gary Cassidy of Roseburg, age 69, knew something wasn’t right.

“Thankfully, my wife got an ambulance to our house. I had never been to the hospital before, so I was a little hesitant to even let her make the call.”

After having blood tests done at Mercy, Gary learned he’d had a heart attack and needed to have quadruple bypass surgery. That led him straight to Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute at Sacred Heart Medical Center two days later on July 13, 2009. Gary was relieved to find exceptional care just an hour north of his home.

“Sacred Heart fit me in right away. Everyone at the hospital was great. Brent Richardson, RN, took great care of me in the ICU. He kept my family informed on my progress and he even stayed after his shift to escort me to my room when I was ready. Dr. Koh provided excellent care and was always willing to answer my questions before and after my surgery with easy to understand explanations. The entire team talked to my family and made my wife Shirley, son Mark and daughter Traci feel comfortable and informed about what was happening every step along the way.”

“I was walking right after surgery, and was released in four days!”

Now Gary can’t wait to get back to doing what he loves: fishing, woodworking and hunting in the fall. And in the mean time, he tells everyone he knows, “If you need heart surgery, I recommend going to Sacred Heart.”

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