British Citizen, David Heard was about 55 years old when his physicians detected a heart murmur during a routine exam. Follow-up medical tests revealed he had a blocked aortic valve — a condition that had gone undiagnosed for almost 10 years. It is the most common congenital heart condition and it may run in families. Further tests revealed that David had not one but two blocked arteries, this News came as a shock for the Heard family, as until now the 55-year-old male was living a fairly active lifestyle. “I guess we just didn’t really understand what risks could be involved,” says Mary, David’s partner.
Then, one day in January 2015, while sitting in his car, David developed severe chest pain. His first thought, he recalled, was that he was having a heart attack. Yet he wrote it off as a panic attack — even though he’d never had one before.
But the pain kept getting worse. Four hours later, he went to the emergency room. Twelve hours after that, doctors told him he needed Angioplasty plus two stents for his blocked arteries.
Complete cardiac rehabilitation was always going to be an uphill battle while being challenged both physically and mentally. He didn’t bounce back as quickly as doctors thought he would. In addition, he needed to be treated for pneumonia and inflammation of his chest tissue. Doctors quickly came to the conclusion that there was something far more grave wrong with David’s heart condition. This is when the family decided to take matters into their own hands and look for help elsewhere –perhaps in another country. “After multiple doctor visits we needed a second opinion and we were out of options”, says Mary.
Out of options, the couple did what most people do, they Googled “Cardiac Treatment for Stent Grafting”. They were immediately shown multiple options, and one of them was Vaidam.com. After comparing various treatment options and going through the list of top 10 best cardiac hospitals in India, they decided to consult Vaidam because the options offered were as per the family’s budget. After speaking to a Vaidam Dedicated Health Consultant, the pair decided to visit Sharda Hospital in Noida for further diagnosis and surgery.
The two arrived in New Delhi on 4 February and were taken to the hospital immediately. His doctor Dr. Satish Mathew carried tests to further diagnose David’s heart. Initial reports suggested that all of David’s Arteries were blocked with open heart surgery (CABG) being the only available option. David said “There was a 25 percent to 50 percent chance of surviving the open-heart surgery”; he needed to repair her aorta. “They also explained that I wouldn’t live much longer if I didn’t have the procedure.” The couple were visibly taken back about this new information, “We were not quite prepared to hear the news and the seriousness of the problem, however, wanted to go ahead with the surgery sooner rather than later”.
After 7 days in the hospital, the doctors discharged David after a successful open heart surgery and he was fit to leave the hospital. “We felt so relieved that the whole ordeal was finally over”. The couple stayed in India for another 2 weeks before returning back. Now back in their home country, David and Mary send their gratitude and love to the Vaidam team for seeing them through this difficult time. “We are truly grateful for the help shown by Vaidam team members; we never had to worry about anything during our stay in India, they took care of everything”. They also have something special to say about their Doctor and other staff at Sharda Hospital “We would especially like to thank Dr. Satish Mathew - one of the best cardiologist in India, for his help and encouragement.”
David and Mary got the best treatment they could get - considering their budget and treatment requirements, it worked out great for the 55-year-old. With David now recovering from heart surgery, we look back in joy to see their story, glad that they received the help they needed.
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