Mark Mason

Fifty-nine-year-old Mark Mason is a Marine Corps veteran. When he left the military, he started his own business and for the last three decades has been a Jack of all trades serving his customers. But in 2015, during one of his jobs, he was involved with a chemical spill that ultimately created a condition called sarcoidosis, a disease that resulted in the growth of inflammatory cells that damaged his lungs and eventually impacted his heart health.

A Georgia resident, Mark travels to North Florida Veteran's Affairs hospitals and clinics for health care. But about a year ago, he complained of chest pains and was given a cardiac catheterization at the VA. His diagnosis was mild (40%) blockage with no additional treatment ordered. But he knew something just wasn't right. He said the chest pains worsened and walking a block took his breath away. “I just wasn't feeling myself,” he said. “I knew something was very wrong. I went to the Acute Care Unit at the Tallahassee VA and they sent me to Capital Hospital.”

“I'm fortunate. I honestly believe that if I hadn't gone to Capital Hospital, I would probably be dead. If not for the cardiology team and the surgeon, I might not be here. They saved my life.” Mark says the referral program the VA has with Capital Hospital is a blessing. Veterans are sent to the hospital when they need acute, specialized care. “When I arrived at the emergency department they immediately began testing and making sure that I was taken care of. They listened when I told them what I was feeling. They honestly care about you. That's a big thing with me because I've been in a lot of medical facilities and have seen a lot of doctors over the years. When I'm putting my life in their hands, I want to know they aren't just going through the motions.”

Mark says interventional cardiologists with Capital Cardiology Specialists first saw him in the ER. Niraj Pandit, MD, and Shayibu Harruna, MD, performed a cardiac catheterization to determine the extent of his cardiac disease. The results showed a 90% blockage in his right main artery. After determining that a stent to open the blockage was not a good option, Dr. Harruna and Dr. Pandit, let Mark know they needed to call in a surgeon.

Jerome McDonald, MD, a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, with Florida Heart and Lung Institute, affiliated with Capital Hospital, visited Mark in his room. “He explained everything that was going on with my heart and what needed to be done to fix it,” he said. “He told me he would use a minimally invasive bypass surgery approach that allowed him to go in under my rib rather than opening my chest.”

The procedure used by Dr. McDonald allows the surgeon to operate on the heart without cutting through the breastbone. Through a 3 to 5-inch incision, the surgeon goes through the left part of the chest between the ribs. The surgeon finds and prepares an artery on the chest wall to attach to the coronary artery that is blocked. This type of surgery typically results in less pain and a quicker recovery for many patients.

“I'm so grateful to everyone at Capital Hospital,” said Mark. “They are super people, very compassionate, and always wanted to make sure I was comfortable and felt safe. I'll be eternally grateful to them. Today I feel so much better. I've lost 35 pounds because I'm eating a heart healthy diet and I feel like my old self — like I did when I was 40. I highly recommend Capital Cardiology Specialists, and the Florida Heart and Lung Institute at Capital Hospital, and the entire team at the hospital to all my friends. They are the best.”