Patient Testimonials

Davey’s Story

For 34 years, Davey worked as a diesel mechanic, using the latest technology to fix big rigs and work on racecars. But then his life took a turn for the worse. He found himself losing mobility and was confined to bed for long periods over the next two years. His diabetes had progressed to the point that multiple arteries in his lower body were collapsing. Davey was on the brink of losing his legs.

“People don’t realize how bad blocked arteries are until it happens to them,” Davey recalls. And with only 20 percent blood flow through the lower part of his body, this was a particularly bad case. “My worst fear was losing my legs. Because once it starts, there’s no stopping from amputation.”

After eight months at other facilities, Davey realized he needed another opinion. One leg was turning black, and he feared for the worst. That’s when he met a kindred spirit in Dr. Davis, one of a few cardiologists nationwide on the forefront of cutting-edge vascular technology.

“Technology means everything in the vascular field,” Dr. Davis explains. “With the technology we have at St. John Health System, we can really open blood vessels from the whole leg down to the foot, which has an impact on preventing amputations.”

Dr. Davis is unique among cardiologists because he has direct interaction with the inventors and engineers of the latest equipment. “At St. John Health System, we have a big impact on what they do and what we do here in terms of the devices.”

Davey has actually seen the impact of this technology first-hand. Awake during his operation, Davey was able to watch on-screen as Dr. Davis opened the blood vessels in his foot. “It was a miracle. He took that little-bitty drill and went all the way down and opened up those little-bitty veins. Blood was going down to my foot for the first time. And then all the other doctors ran in there to see. You should’ve seen it.”

For Dr. Davis, technology is about more than just the latest gadget. “Technology means everything to the patient. You can see it in their faces when they hear that something can be done when others have told them nothing can be done. And here we have that ability to connect the patients to the technology, which impacts their outcomes.”

Davey is back on his feet now and taking care of himself and his family. “They listened. They did what they said they were going to do. They all got together and worked as a team. And they got me going.”

Coming from a man who has spent his life getting things going, that’s no small praise.

Carmen’s Story

“Mom, I don’t want you to die.”

Those are words that no mother would want to hear, but they were the words that changed Carmen’s life forever.

Carmen’s heart problems started when she was 12. Shortness of breath. Chest pains. Nausea. Vomiting. Her symptoms would strike even during simple tasks like vacuuming or walking up stairs.

It was determined that she had irregular heartbeats, and she was in and out of hospitals and doctors’ offices for years. But nothing was working.

More than 30 years later, Carmen was still having heart problems. And it wasn’t just affecting her anymore—she now had a teenage daughter, who would oftentimes find herself taking care of her mother. “Having my daughter around was a big help. But I feel like I robbed her of her childhood. She always cared for me, and it’s supposed to be the other way around.”

Now in her 40s, Carmen was still experiencing episodes that landed her in the emergency room. Finally, her daughter Aimee broke down and made the statement that made Carmen take action.

“When my daughter told me she didn’t want me to die—the look in her eyes—it just broke my heart. At that moment, I knew I had to get the procedure done.”

It was risky. But after visiting St. John Health System, she found a doctor she could trust: Cardiac Electrophysiologist Dr. Machado. She felt at ease. “We talked to her about her risk, her benefit,” explains Dr. Machado. “She had to have two procedures in order to achieve a complete cure, but she was very willing to try. She had pretty much reached a dead end at that time.”

Before the procedure, Carmen’s daughter gave Dr. Machado some words of encouragement. She told him the only birthday wish she had was for her mom to be okay. “I just wanted my mother back,” says Aimee.

After the two successful procedures by Dr. Machado and the staff at St. John Health System, Carmen was symptom-free. “Dr. Machado gave me my life back. Now I’m getting married, and my daughter will walk me down the aisle knowing that I won’t have to be rushed to the ER anymore. I can run up the stairs. I can do anything.”

As for Aimee’s birthday wish, she says, “I got my gift.”

Dr. Penn's Story

Dr. Penn has practiced medicine in Southeastern Michigan for 40 years. He’s seen it all. Illnesses. Diseases. Patients. However, there’s one thing Dr. Penn never thought he’d experience, and that was being his own patient.

“I was kind of surprised by my status. I'd never been sick a day in my life.” But when Dr. Penn experienced a life-threatening heart attack, he asked to be taken to the emergency room at St. John Health System. “As a physician I could have gone anywhere I chose. I chose the St. John Health System because of the results I’ve seen before. I really like the cardiovascular team they have. I send a good number of my patients there.”

The diagnosis was not good news. Because Dr. Penn was unable to tolerate a stent, he would need cardiovascular bypass surgery. Even with his many years of experience, Dr. Penn found himself experiencing the same anxiety that so many of his patients did. “It impacted me quite a bit. I had two patients of my own on the same floor that I was on who were having the same procedure. I had explained to them that it wouldn't be much at all. I don't think I'll say that anymore.”

Fortunately, he had Dr. Goodman and his staff to rely on. “We’ve learned over the years that getting a good result means treating the entire person, the entire patient, not just the disease.” And having a health system and staff dedicated to the whole person also means investing in the latest cutting-edge technology.

“The patients do better” and they have shorter recovery times and hospital stays when operations are less invasive, explains Dr. Goodman. “They really appreciate it because we’re giving them what they deserve—the best possible care.”

And for Dr. Penn, the importance of bedside manner was never more apparent. “As a physician I was extremely impressed. I've never been on the opposite side of the bed.”

After a lifetime of healing others, Dr. Penn made a choice to be healed by the best doctors he could find. His decision, like so many of his patients, led him to the only healthcare system in the area with three Cardiovascular Centers of Excellence—St. John Health System.

Mary's Story

Mary’s summer was getting off to a good start. It was only the beginning of July, but she had a busy season planned with family and friends. Her asthma was causing her some trouble, but she was treating it with medication.

“But instead of getting better, it kept getting worse until, one day, I went to the emergency room. And they told me I had congestive heart failure.” Mary was given six months to live.

Mary was unable to have a stent, so she had to rely on medication to unclog her arteries. As the medication was increased over the next couple of weeks, she searched for another opinion to find out if open-heart surgery was an option.

“So during that process, I was busy getting things ready for my immediate family—around the house—to sort of try to make it easier for them within that six months’ time.” But then she suffered a heart attack. The EMS rushed to her house and drove her to St. John Health System and that was the beginning of a miracle.

That’s where Mary met Dr. Martin, a St. John Health System cardiac surgeon. “He never said that surgery was impossible. He was very upfront. He told me it wasn’t going to be easy but I did have a chance. I guess what I appreciated was, he didn’t hide anything from me.”

As for Dr. Martin, he wouldn’t practice medicine any other way: “The mission of St. John Health System offers a parallel to my style of practice. The focus is caring for the patient as a total human being, rather than just caring for a problem.”

Mary underwent triple bypass surgery right away. “I came out of surgery, and the next morning they had me sitting in a chair. And everything from there was just progress.”

Mary is now in her seventh week of recovery and recently started driving again. “I’ve never seen the level of service I saw at that hospital. It was more like a family setting.” And now that her life expectancy has gone from six months to 10–15 years, Mary has a whole new outlook. “I’m so grateful that somebody was willing to say, ‘You do have a chance.’”

“I’m a heart surgeon because God wants me to be,” says Dr. Martin. “And just the satisfaction of having someone thank you for helping them get to a better place in life is worth way more than any amount of money.”