A Weight Off My Mind

Art Carter had always been healthy, athletic, strong and in charge — as a teacher, a special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration, and as a father. Now Art was told he needed bypass surgery. Surprisingly, he found he was reluctant to undergo surgery. Until his family weighed in.

During a routine checkup, Art Carter’s physician, Dr. John Kelly, noticed an irregular heartbeat. A follow-up EKG revealed a blockage in his arteries. An angiogram, performed by Dr. Dennis Friedman at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, revealed the situation was worse than anyone imagined. At the very least, Art needed a quadruple bypass — and soon.

“I was amazed,” Art said. “I felt fine. I said I’d have to think about it. I just couldn’t imagine surgery; I wanted to put it off .”

That’s when his family decided Art needed a little strong-arming. “My wife Annette staged an ‘intervention’,” he recalls. “She arranged for two of our children to give me a reality check.” Art’s daughter, Alaina, made the ultimate argument. “She said she wanted me to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. It was just a few months away.”

The next Monday morning, Art scheduled a consultation with Dr. Thomas Militano. In surgery at our sister hospital Washington Adventist Hospital, Dr. Militano not only performed a quadruple bypass, he addressed additional arteries as well. Arthur walked his daughter down the aisle two months later.

Art is still working out religiously three times a week at the Shady Grove Adventist Cardiac Rehab gym. “I’m a testament to being in the hands of truly excellent doctors and staff, every step of the way — the surgeons, the physicians, the rehabilitation staff and my fellow rehabbers. It’s like an extended family; and ‘family’ carries a lot of weight with me.”

How You Can Help

Interested in helping us to better help patients like Art? Contact the Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Foundation at (240) 826-6570 to learn more about our giving opportunities and how your gracious contribution can be best directed to help.

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