Steve Ostrega did everything you’re supposed to. The 57-year-old financial operations manager for a major insurance company had
hiked and jogged for the past 20 years. He was thin. Ate right. Never smoked.

So it was no surprise, on a chilled January hike through the woods
near his Sterling Forest home, that Steve chalked up the pain in his
ear to the cold. But when the pain returned every day upon exertion
for the next week, he became suspicious and called the doctor. That
seemingly small decision very likely saved Steve’s life.

A thallium stress test revealed Steve may have had some blockages
in the arteries around his heart, so he scheduled an appointment for
an angiogram with Dr. David Brogno at the Active International
Cardiovascular Institute. The procedure revealed that three of
Steve’s arteries were 95% blocked—choking his heart of vital
nutrients and oxygen. Steve was in such critical shape, in fact, that
he had a mild heart attack right then and there, but quick action by Dr. Brogno saved Steve’s life. The doctor inserted a pump in Steve’s
heart to keep his heart going for the next few days, so they could
prep him for open heart surgery. Steve was to be the fourth open
heart surgery patient in the recently opened facility. But he knew
he was in good hands.

“Even though I needed major surgery, a certain calm came over me,”
Steve said. “I was totally confident in everyone there.”

Because of his interest in health, Steve had read about the new
cardiac center opening at Good Samaritan Hospital in the previous
months. Even though he had no family history of heart problems,
he found himself compelled to learn about the institute and its staff.

“Maybe it was fate or intuition that I had an interest in it. But there I
was, talking to the very surgeons I have read about… the doctors
who were saving my life.”

Those surgeons, Drs. Edward Lundy and Rawn Salenger,
performed bypass surgery on Steve on February 5. By the tenth,
he was back home. His doctors arranged for a nurse and physical therapist to help him recover at home, then he continued his care
with cardiac rehabilitation at Good Samaritan Hospital for six weeks.

“Bypass surgery is major, but my recovery was terrific,” Steve said. “Everyone at the institute filled me with information and had such
genuine concern for me. So I always knew what to expect and
what to do to recover.”

In time, Steve was ready to start doing the exercise he always loved.
He started with 10-minute walks around the house at first, and has
since built himself back to an aggressive routine of daily hikes and
jogs. He covers an average of three miles a day, charging hills with renewed vigor.

“Even though I was in good shape before, I can feel the difference,”
Steve said. “I have more endurance than ever. It’s like a new lease
on life for me.”

Steve credits the doctors, nurses and staff at Good Samaritan
Hospital with his positive outcome. He went back to the institute to personally thank the team.

“The care I got in the institute… the concern and support for me and
my family… was simply outstanding. I suppose I could have gone to
a city hospital, but why? The travel would have been a burden for
me and my family, and the institute, just 10 minutes from my home,
was the same or better care than any university hospital.”

As with many people who survive a traumatic experience, Steve
often wonders what may have happened if other scenarios played
out. He could have ignored the ear pain and ended up dying on a trail in
the woods, alone. Or he could have taken his chances and traveled
out of the area for care, getting caught in traffic and having a heart
attack en route.

“What I’ve learned from this experience is that heart trouble can
happen to anyone, young or old. We’re extremely lucky to have this resource so close by. It’s very reassuring. I’ll always think of them
as the ones who saved me.”