Heart disease runs in Joan Goldman's family. Her father saw a cardiologist regularly and her mother had severe heart problems. When Joan felt short of breath walking her Yorkie near her home last summer, she wondered if she would be next. "I was worried. I never had a feeling like that before," says Joan. But there was no question about who she would turn to for answers.
Both of her parents trusted Holy Name cardiologist Stephen Angeli, MD, to take care of their own battles with heart disease. "When I moved here from Long Island ten years ago, I went to Dr. Angeli for a baseline heart check-up," says Joan. This time, Dr. Angeli recommended a stress test and a through-the-wrist cardiac catheterization to see if Joan had a heart blockage. "He told me not to be surprised to find out I needed angioplasty and a stent."
But while the tests confirmed that Joan did have a blockage, she was able to be treated with medication and cardiac rehab.
Joan realizes a family history can play a significant role in heart risk. "I do my best to do everything right. I don't eat junk food, red meat or dairy. And I've been a clean eater for 20 years," she says. Yet Joan has high cholesterol and has experienced this recent health scare.
She is grateful for the care she received and is on the road to recovery. "The nurses were wonderful," says Joan, who lives closer to other hospitals. But there is no other she trusts more.
