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Patient Stories
Tom Bailey has a uniquely personal perspective on the advancements in bypass surgery over the past 30 years. He had his first bypass surgery in 1973, when he was 35. His second bypass surgery was in 1988, when he was 50. And he had his third bypass operation in 2003, when he was 65.
"Each operation has been 15 years apart. That means I'll have my fourth one when I'm 80. I'm already looking forward to it!"
Tom has a family history of coronary artery disease. "I was just 35 when my doctor told me I needed to have my first bypass surgery. My brother died of a heart attack in his early thirties. All of my male cousins have either died or had heart surgery."
Tom felt especially fatigued before his most recent bypass operation, which he postponed until his wife retired from her job as a nurse. "That way she was able to take care of me after my operation."
 Read Tom's Story
As a 25-year veteran of the police force in suburban Philadelphia, Kevin Lawler is trained to remain calm during an emergency. Even when the emergency is his own.
He and his wife Karen, a nurse, were watching a funny movie on television one evening in April 2003, when Kevin started having chest pains. "I was laughing so hard, and then I started feeling pains in my chest."
He was taken to the local hospital, where he was given medication to relieve the pain. A heart catheterization the next day revealed blocked arteries, and Kevin was scheduled for coronary artery bypass surgery.
Read Kevin's Story
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