Stories of giving

A grateful patient, Raul Dela Rosa, returned to Emanate Health Inter-Community Hospital on the one-year anniversary of his heart surgery to thank his caregivers for helping to restore his health. He was greeted by many of the staff members who worked with him on his road to recovery. As a token of his appreciation, he gave Porto’s pastries to the staff of CardioVascular DOU, Cardio Rehab, Cath Lab, Surgery and Surgical ICU.

On September 7, 2019, Raul went for a 3-hour bike ride while training for an Ironman race. He went home and felt pain in his chest and his left arm was numb. He knew something was wrong. He went to Inter-Community Hospital’s Emergency Department right away and found that the troponin level in his blood was high. He was admitted and had an angiogram the next day. His doctor couldn’t fix the blockage and told Raul that he needed bypass surgery.

On the morning of his surgery, Raul told his nurses that he was scared of what will happen. “They assured me that everything will be OK. And they were right,” he said. After six hours, the surgery was a success.

The next few weeks were challenging for Raul. “I felt sad because I wondered why it happened to me. I did everything right – I was working out, eating healthy and didn’t smoke. However, with the help of the hospital staff, I was able to recover fast and now I'm back to my regular workouts as cleared by my cardiologist.”

“We are so happy for him and his family,” said Donna Townsend, RN, MHM, Corporate Director of Medical, Surgical and Cardiology Services at Emanate Health. “Our team does whatever it takes to take care of heart patients like Mr. Dela Rosa.”

“My favorite moments at the hospital were the times when I talked with the doctors, nurses and staff members, including housekeeping, before and after my surgery,” said Raul. “I highly recommend Inter-Community Hospital to everyone who needs heart surgery. I will always be grateful to the people who took care of me, more than they will ever know.”