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  • Lily Burns: Forever Fitness Instructor
  • Barry Forman: New Aorta and Valve Saves His Life
  • Bruce MacDonald: Avid Cyclist
  • John Pomfred: Walking Gratefully
  • Mostafa Salem: Hummingbird Gardener
  • Sean Smith: Back on the Golf Course
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Patient Stories

Here are some stories of grateful Cardiac Surgery patients and their families that we hope will encourage and inspire others.

LILY BURNS: FOREVER FITNESS INSTRUCTOR
Lily Burns was young, active and healthy…or so she thought. When she had a stroke at just 33 years of age, a minimally invasive procedure at BIDMC's CardioVascular Institute fixed a hole in her heart, and saved her life. Read More and Watch Video >>

BARRY FORMAN: PLAYING THE DRUMS AGAIN

On the morning of July 8, 2008, 47-year-old Barry Forman of West Bridgewater returned home from his morning workout at the gym when he felt a sudden onset of chest and lower back pain. Suspecting a heart attack, Barry called his primary care doctor and was told to immediately go to the nearest emergency room. Physicians quickly discovered that he had a rather rare condition known as aortic dissection - a tear in the aorta as it comes out of the heart. Read More >>

BRUCE MACDONALD: ACTIVE CYCLIST

Avid cyclist Bruce MacDonald had a stroke. But that wasn't his biggest problem. The irregular heartbeat condition that caused his stroke was still not under control. Could treatment at BIDMC prevent another stroke and get Bruce back to his active lifestyle? As an avid cyclist, Bruce has conquered bike races including the 755 mile-long Paris Brest Paris race… that's right, 755 miles! Being in such great shape, no one would have expected that Bruce would soon face a major health scare. Read More and Watch Video >>

JOHN POMFRED: WALKING GRATEFULLY

John Pomfred, a 63-year-old retired Avery Dennison project manager, has always been a walker. Just a few years ago, he and his wife walked five or six miles almost every day with their two Golden Retrievers near their Southboro home. After John experienced shortness of breath during his walks, tests revealed that one of his arteries was 85-90 percent blocked. In February, 2006, John underwent successful coronary bypass surgery at BIDMC. Read More >>

MOSTAFA SALEM: HUMMINGBIRD GARDNER

Mostafa Salem of Framingham had felt his heart flip-flopping in his chest from time to time. A business analyst then in his 60s, he chalked the uncomfortable, quivering sensation up to stress and never suspected a medical condition. On a vacation trip to London in 2005, Mr. Salem spent two hours in the sun on a double-decker sightseeing bus, sweltering in 96-degree heat. Back in his hotel room, he rose from lying on the bed to turn on the television, fainted and hit the floor. Although his wife reported that he was unconscious for less than a minute, she motivated him to finally connect the dots. Read More >>

SEAN SMITH: BACK ON THE GOLF COURSE

Sean Smith was a 17-year-old high school senior when his heart troubles began. He remembers the cold symptoms, weight loss, tiredness and high fever caused by a virus. After five days, he left with a heart murmur that his doctor continued to monitor. For more than 20 years, the South Shore resident lived a normal life. A sports fan who enjoys playing sports - everything from softball to golf to sea kayaking -- he worked as a business development manager for a software company. Then one Monday, at age 37, he could barely get out of bed. "I was exhausted," he recalls. "I tried to walk up a little incline and I was out of breath. My heart felt racy." Read More >>