Robotic-assisted cardiac bypass is life-changing experience for local painting instructor

When prolonged, intense pain pierced through Ray Heddy's chest, the 60-year-old painting instructor had cause for concern. Though Ray had no prior history of heart trouble himself, his mother had passed away at age 63, shortly after experiencing similar chest pain.

Deciding to be proactive, Ray consulted with his McLaren-affiliated primary care physician, Mark Neumann, DO. Dr. Neumann later referred Ray to James Chambers, DO, a cardiologist also associated with McLaren. After several tests, Dr. Chambers told Ray that the source of his pain was arterial blockage in the heart and that he needed bypass surgery as soon as possible.

"After I heard 'bypass surgery,' I was waiting for the punch line," said Ray. "I was waiting for the good news."

Ray's wait wasn't long. He quickly learned that an advanced, less invasive bypass procedure was available through robotic-assisted surgery at McLaren with Fernando Jara, MD, a cardiothoracic expert and experienced robotic surgeon.

The surgery was extremely successful, and Ray's outcomes were, in a word, incredible. Following surgery, he had minimal pain and scarring. And, within just a couple of weeks, he was taking half-mile walks daily, and he returned to work within a month.

Throughout his experience, Ray was very impressed with the quality of care he received at McLaren, not to mention the genius of his doctors and the seamless communication among them all.

Since surgery, Ray is living life healthier. When Dr. Jara told him to commit to better nutrition and regular exercise, Ray took it to heart. He has already lost 20 pounds and is feeling better than ever.

"I feel like I'm getting younger with each day," said Ray.